Destined Meetings  The Extended Edition
by Lashana Inferno
Summary: Fate has a strange way of bringing individuals together. When two teens get thrown back in time by a spell gone awry, they find themselves in the middle of an adventure that neither thought possible. *Rewrite of original* Rated M for some language.
1. Prologue

_Yes, it's been **years**. Years, since the original of this fic found a home and a fanbase on the internet. There have been many fans, many emails, many questions of 'when are you updating'. I've been battling depression, and anxiety, and even then, the fans have made their love of my 'Dragonheart' fics known. All I can say in the light of that is 'Thank you'. Thank you for putting up with the lack of updates and the fact that I did, for a while, practically fall off the face of the planet._

_This rewrite is for all the fans that stuck around. The fic has changed a little. I don't write the same way I did back when I wrote the original copy of this story. I'm going to leave the original up here at FFnet, because this version is almost a different story. I suppose you can consider this rewrite as an "Extended Edition" of the first. There's new scenes, tweaked scenes, and rewritten scenes. Some people may find that they prefer the original draft of this fic, and that's okay. But I'm not the same person that I was when I authored the first copy of 'Destined Meetings'and, looking back, there are a lot of things that I wanted to change._

_So, to everyone who stuck around. To every old fan and new fan, I present to you the 2012 version of 'Destined Meetings'. It seems rather fitting that this fic be posted now, at the beginning of the 'Year of the Dragon'._

_-Lashana_

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><p><span>Prologue - 984 A.D.<span>

_Dragon_. A crude but accurate word he supposed. It sounded much better when spoken in the language of his brethren, but then again, the majority of humans weren't known for their willingness to learn complex languages. Nevermind translate them properly.

He sighed and shook his head slightly as he gazed down from the shadows at the woman that stood before him, her eyes bright with tears as she pleaded for her son's life. Aislinn, daughter of the Celts. Her people and his once lived in perfect harmony. It had been a wondrous time then. The Old Ways had been honored, dragons seen as protectors and teachers. As friends and confidents.

_Nothing lasts forever_. He sighed again, softly this time, so as not to be overheard. Aislinn had been his truest friend, oh so long ago. Why she had allowed herself to be married to a dragonslayer was beyond even his comprehension. Though knowing the ways of those butchers, she had probably been forced. That would certainly explain the sudden disappearance of her Celtic clan. Perhaps 'butchers' was an appropriate term for those killers, they didn't seem to hold any life dear except their own.

And now he was faced with this. A child already filled with the darkness of a killer. But he _was _still a child. Perhaps, with luck - a _lot _of luck - the young one could be pulled from the brink of disaster.

That would require a huge sacrifice on his part however. Was he truly willing to take such a leap of faith, just so that he could assure his place among his people when his time came?

He shifted his bulk slightly, wingtips scraping against the cave wall as he looked down into Aislinn eyes, unable to ignore the hope he saw there. Hope that he would save her son. Hope that through him, her son could be saved from so much more than just mere death. But even he wasn't foolish enough to do what she was asking without some sort of reassurance.

The look on the Knight's face was indescribable as he took his sword from him and held it over the boy, the light from the boiling hot mud pits in the main chamber of the cave casting a shadowed cross across the child's blood soaked tunic. Even now, the young man fought for life, but the dragon simply couldn't quell a feeling of distrust from nagging at him as the boy forced out a whispered oath, the strain of it stealing away what little strength remained to him.

He supposed that he shouldn't have been too surprised when the Knight ripped the sword out of his claw, making his talons scrape a long dark groove in the blade. True, this was the boy's protector. Perhaps the Knight had seen something he hadn't? Something good and pure that he simply hadn't had a chance to see?

"_Peace_, Knight." His rumbling voice echoed through the cave as he frowned down at the Knight. Almost without realizing it, he found himself already lifting up one of the scales protecting his flesh, a single talon slipping underneath to slice into the skin of his chest. _Faith is all I have left. If my heart can purify this child, perhaps the age of Dragons can be prolonged. Or saved altogether_. "Witness the wonders of an ancient glory."

It must have seemed so simple to the humans gathered before him. A cut, talon slicing deep into flesh, claw delicately scooping a glowing piece of his very life out of his body. The brilliant light of his half-heart outshone even the mud-pits, casting shadows across the cave walls. He ignored them all. Ignored the frightened part of him that took in the image of a slain dragon embroidered on the blanket that covered the youth. Ignored the pain in his chest. Ignored that little voice in the back of his mind that whispered that this was a terrible, _terrible _mistake...

The light from the half-heart slipped from between his talons, nestling into its new home in the young ones chest as words unconsciously rumbled out of him. Words of tradition. Words of an everlasting bond. Words of life: "Half my heart to make you whole. It's strength to purify your weakness. Live, and remember your Oath."

As the young one stirred back to life, gasping for breath, he gazed down at Aislinn once more. The look of everlasting gratitude and joy on her face helped chase away some of the sickening emptiness inside him. He smiled in return. But she couldn't see the expression. He was shrouded in darkness. So, he gave her a short nod, then gestured towards the cave entrance with his muzzle. Understanding flickered across her face, and she paused to kneel before him a final time before turning and beckoning the guards forward.

His attention wandered as the four guards moved to lift the makeshift litter that cradled the recovering boy, his gaze drawn to the Knight of the Old Code as the human approached.

What happened next shocked even him. The Knight actually stepped forward and knelt, bowing his head.

"I serve the father only for the sake of the son." The dragon didn't miss the barely veiled contempt in the man's voice as he spoke of the dead King, nor the emotional hitch in the Knight's breathing as the human continued. "_All _my hopes rest on him. Forgive a blind fool. Call when you've need of me. Ask what you will of me. My sword, my service, are yours."

He blinked, surprised and - dare he think it? - hopeful. Surely, to have a soul that would follow the teachings of the Old Code at the boy's side was a good omen for the future, was it not?

Perhaps this world wasn't as lost as most dragons believed it to be.

Unbidden, a grateful rumble rolled from his throat as he graced the Knight with a smile that remained hidden in the shadows. "Only remind him always of his vow, Knight of the Old Code," he murmured, his wings scraping against the cave walls as he turned away from the human, clinging to the small ember of hope that the man's oath had kindled within him.

* * *

><p>Not even a day later, that hopeful ember had been squashed by the terrifying truth.<p>

The coldness he sensed in the half heart that beat in the boy's chest sunk it's icy talons into his very soul, giving him shivers that had nothing to do with the cool autumn rains. Hatred and bitterness that had been dipped in the blood of innocent life curled around the piece of the heart he had sacrificed. The link that tied the halves of his heart felt wrong. So very, very _wrong_. Even the strength and purity of a dragon's heart could not hope to last against such darkness. A darkness that constantly tore at his own inner light like wolves tearing at a fresh kill.

Oh, what a fool he had been! What a stupid fool! He had ignored his instincts, ignored everything that he knew about the boy and his deceased sire. Had let hope blind him to the truth. Had let Aislinn's pleas and tears and her once-friendship nurture the foolish wish to prove himself worthy of joining his Kin.

Unbidden, a mournful keen ripped its way from his throat - the closest equivalent to tears that a dragon could come to. His vocalization of pain echoed around him, bouncing across the cave walls, swirling around and around, until he felt as if he was drowning in his own cries.

So caught up in his horror that he didn't even take notice of the Knight of the Old Code's return to his cave until the human's angered, broken, yells overwhelmed the echoes.

"_DRAGON!_ I know you're in here!"

He grimaced and retreated deeper into the shadows, letting his inner lids shutter down to hide the shine of his eyes. A rippling sensation across his hide accompanied the deepest instinct to let his scales morph to mirror the textures of the cave walls, almost completely camouflaging his bulk.

The Knight stalked to the stone alter where the boy-king had lain only a day before. "You _changed _him dragon! I loved that boy and you changed him! Well, today I make a new vow!" The anger and bitter pain of the Knight's voice made the hidden dragon flinch anew. "No matter where you fly, I will find you! I will spend the rest of my life hunting you down!"

The dragon closed his eyes in grief and rose a taloned hand to his face, barely able to hold back another pained keen. _Oh, Knight, there is __nowhere __I can fly to now. This darkness will haunt me every day for the rest of my life. There is nowhere I can go to escape this darkness. I bet __everything __I am, and lost. I've taken on every poison stirring in that brat's evil breast. Only the shadows are open to me now._

_Stars Above..._ Another shudder wracked him, wings trembling as he clamped a claw over his mouth, muffling a despair-ridden cry. _What have I done?_

tbc


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue._

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><p><span>2009<span>

At one point in her life, if someone had told her that she would be willingly staying in school after classes had let out, Rachel would have laughed in their face and told them they were crazy.

She would have been wrong.

Sighing, Rachel rose a hand to rake her fingers through her tousled auburn hair and hurried down the main hallway of the High School, vainly hoping that this afternoon would be different than all the others past.

"Hey freak! Where you think yer goin?"

_Right on time, as always._ _I should enlist in Track & Field, I certainly get enough practice._ Not even bothering to look behind her, the seventeen year old shifted her backpack onto her right shoulder and broke into an all-out run. Her sneakers barely made a sound on the tiled floor, letting her hear the pursuit behind her as she sprinted down the hallway.

Salvation lay ahead, like it always had. She skidded around a corner, dodged around a giggling group of the 'in-crowd', and hit the library doors without ever breaking stride. The Librarian let out a started gasp before recognizing her, and Rachel thanked whatever Gods were listening for the much-needed break as she darted into the rows of bookshelves.

It took only seconds for her to weave her way to the back of the library, taking shelter amongst the books as she listened for the inevitable arrival of her pursuers. Sure enough, she could hear the Librarian scolding the four teenage boys for barging into the library like 'a pack of stampeding mules'. The woman who tended the school's library gave them a rather sharp dressing down, along with the promise that she would be informing the principal of not only their apparent lack of good manners, but the reason behind their banishment from the library for yet another week.

Rachel grinned, peering out from between the stacks as the Librarian drove the four bullies from the library wielding only a sharp tone and a rather impressive glare. _Damn. I'm glad she's on my side!_

"Rachel? You can come out now. They're gone."

Heaving a sigh, she stepped out from her hiding place, mustering up a tired smile. "Thanks. That's another one I owe you."

The elder woman smiled. "Don't worry about it. I used to have the same problems when I was your age."

Rachel snorted. "Nothing changes, hmm?"

"I'm afraid not. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just pissed off. 'Scuse the language," she added quickly when the woman arched a brow at her. "Sorry. Seriously, though, you'd think those four morons would have something better to do than chasing me around the school."

"You'd think," the Librarian agreed. "Weaker people always go after those who are different. You shun the 'in-crowd', and follow your own path. They're afraid of you, dear. They bully you in an effort to lower you to their level."

"Fat bloody chance of that. Three more exams, then graduation, and I'm _gone_." Rachel forced herself to hold back the anger and bitterness that welled up in her, shoving it back into the pit inside her before moved to lean against the desk. "I'll miss _you_, ma'am. But even that isn't enough to make me come back here."

The woman smiled, albeit sadly. The teen in front of her had always seemed more mature than her peers. Different somehow. That difference had always kept her apart from the other students, and had marked her for the bullies. But the teen had survived, even dared to go out of her way to protect others from the bullies, even at the expense of her school records. She had been suspended for fighting, marked as a 'bad seed' by some teachers, branded as an outsider, bullied, excluded, not only at school but at home as well.

And it hurt the woman's heart to know that the teen believed that she deserved every last mark against her.

Pushing that ache aside, she let a genuine smile tug at her lips as she pulled out a wrapped book and offered it to Rachel. "I have something that may help cheer you up. Consider it a graduation gift."

Curious, Rachel accepted the gift, eyes widening when she felt the weight of it. A glance at the Librarian gave no clues, so she quickly ripped the plain brown paper from around what she thought was a book, perking up when she spied the cover. "Oh!"

"It's a first edition. I was hoping that it'd come in before you left."

The teen brushed her fingers across the pristine book, lightly tracing the embossed 'A Book of Dragons' title. "I-I..." She bit her lip, hating the weepy tone of her voice as she met the Librarian's gaze. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever given me. Thank you so much."

"You are very welcome, Rachel." A series of harsh laughter from outside the library doors made her frown, eyes darting to the quartet of teenage boys. "Honestly don't they have anything better to do?"

"Nope." Rachel buried her fragile emotions under a perfected mask of snark. "That would require an imagination and working brain cells."

The Librarian shook her head and went over to her desk, opening the top drawer and pulling out a single key. "Here."

"What's this go to?"

"The back door." The woman smiled and pointed to the door at the back of the library. "It leads out to the corridor attached to the drama rooms."

"Sweet." Rachel paused to carefully ease her new book into her backpack, then resettled the heavy bag on her right shoulder. "You sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Get going before they come back. The Principal's already left for the day, so my threats of reporting them don't have a lot of 'oomph' behind them."

"Thank you." Rachel moved to leave, then hesitated, and rushed back to the desk, hands clenching the edge uncertainly, unable to meet the elder woman's kind gaze. "Thanks again for, y'know, everything. A-And the book. I... I'll write you or... or something, yeah? Yeah. Right. Okay. 'Bye!"

A wistful smile tugged at the woman's lips as she watched the flustered teen rush out the back door. "I'll miss you too, Rachel."

Rachel slipped out into the drama corridor, her gaze warily darting from one end of the hallway to the other. Satisfied that she was alone, she turned away from the main hallway and headed for one of the service doors that led out to the school's rear parking lot. Pushing the doors open treated her to a sound that usually belonged in a b-movie horror flick, the high-pitched, rusty, shriek of hinges making the filings in her teeth vibrate painfully. The shrill sound of the rusted hinges moving echoed down the hallway, and was probably echoing throughout the entire first level of the school. _That's gonna cost me... _

Cursing under her breath, she flung herself through the doorway, stumbling as the bright sunlight seared her eyes. It seemed to take her sight far too long to adjust, but as soon as she was able to make out shapes, she was moving again. A quick jog around the main building and a sprint to the bike racks took only minutes, but despite that, her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the lock that secured her bike.

"There she is!"

_Oh, fuck me._ Growling in annoyance, she yanked the combination lock open and jerked the security chain free of the wheels, pulling her bike free of the rack afterwards. Only lots of practice allowed Rachel to jump on her bike in mid-stride, legs burning as she pedaled for all she was worth. If she hadn't been trying to out race the four idiots behind her, she might have enjoyed hitting the speed bumps at a pace that left her weightless for a few seconds.

Reality, however, sucked.

The catcalls and jeers from the ones chasing her let Rachel gauge how close they were, and she used that to her advantage as she swerved around an oncoming car, jumped the curb, and shot across two lanes of traffic. Her goal was forest at the edge of the small rural town. If she could make it to the woods, she could lose them. She had done it before. She _had _to do it again.

Her thoughts raced through her mind as she sorted through what little options she had while trying to keep well ahead of her pursuers, weaving between streets, cutting through yards and barely managing to skid past parked cars. They were getting smarter, she realized as she dared to glance back at them. They were trying the divide and conquer route this time, trying to flank her and force her into the center of the street. _Three._ _There's only three. Where...? Oh. Oh shit._

One of the bullies had grown a brain and figured out where she had been heading. He was parked right in the middle of the gravel path that led into the forests, a grin spreading over his face as he hefted a fairly large tree branch and took a batter's stance. _I'm going too fast to stop! Oh, this is going to hurt_.

Rachel ducked her head and braced herself, raising her left arm at the last second. The branch smashed against her forearm, at the same time that she stuck out her foot and caught him at the knees. He went down, and nearly brought her with him before she wrestled her bike under control and coasted into the forest.

_Bloody hell, my arm! Ow, ow, bloody, ow!_ Fairly certain that it wasn't broken, she gingerly shook feeling back into her fingers then forced herself to grasp the left handlebar. The rough trails in the forests were the last place she wanted to ride without full control of her bike.

By the time she passed through the forest and reached the gravel road that led home, Rachel's mood was far from happy. Her arm was turning an interesting shade of blue, and she was desperately hoping that her foster parents weren't home.

A hawk cried out above her as she began the tedious task of peddling uphill to her Aunt's house. There was no love between them, however. Ever since her mother had died and Rache had been sent to live with her Aunt, things had been hell. Ten years of hell. Living with her alcoholic Aunt and her gambling, deadbeat, boyfriend - who liked to not only beat on her Aunt, but Rachel as well - _sucked_. She stayed there because the cops would hunt her down if she ran away. But once she turned eighteen, _freedom_.

And she would _never _look back.

"Rachel! Where have you been?"

She looked up at the cry and blinked at the red haired girl that was running towards her. _What's she doing here? Oh. Right. We were supposed to get together after school to study for my math exam. _

Mustering up something that she hoped resembled a smile, Rachel let her bike coast to a stop a few feet away from her friend. "Hey, Erica. Sorry. I, uh, got hung up at school."

Erica frowned at the hollow look to the other teens eyes. "The moron squad again?"

"Yeah." Tired, Rachel dismounted her bike and walked it over to the side of the two-story house, letting it lean against the siding a little ways away from Erica's own bicycle. "Still got away though."

"Oh, yeah, your arm certainly tells a tale of a clean escape." Erica rolled her eyes when her friend merely shrugged in response, and followed her up the old porch steps. "Your Aunt's home, by the way."

Rachel frowned. "That's not necessarily a good thing."

"Right. Sorry," Erica murmured, taken aback by the harshness in the other teen's voice.

Said teen winced. "Sorry, 'Rica. It's been a really bad day. C'mon, let's see if we can get upstairs without getting screamed at." As it turned out, things went smoother than she had thought. It helped that her Aunt was passed out on the couch.

Rachel ushered Erica into her room and sighed in relief as she closed the door slid the lock into the deadbolt, turning to lean back against it afterwards. Took a moment to let her gaze roam around her room, checking to see if anything had been moved or taken. The only possessions that she gave a damn about were her dragon statues and posters, and a small safe she kept hidden under a loose floorboard, and she nodded in satisfaction when she saw that they were all accounted for.

"Hey, your arm is starting to scare me," Erica said worriedly. "Come here and let me take a look at it."

Rache shrugged and dropped her book bag on her bed before sitting next to it, letting her best friend take hold of her left arm. Pain lanced up to her shoulder as Erica carefully tested her range of movement and the feeling in her hand, even going as far as to carefully prod at the growing bruise. "Survey says?"

"Not broken," Erica murmured, used to her friend's snarkiness. "Though I can't be sure it's not cracked. You'll have to be careful. What _happened?_"

"Eh, one of them beat me to the forest and tried to use my head as a baseball. Damn near ran his ass over."

The red-head sighed. "I'm sorry." She looked around at the sparse furnishings of her friend's room, just a bed, a pile of boxes as a night table, a dresser missing a drawer and a small, rickety bookcase. Posters hid cracks and holes in the walls. So little compared to what Erica had in her bedroom. Even Rachel's clothes were worn, most of her jeans had rips that had nothing to do with the current fashion trend. "I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault." Rachel shrugged and reached for her bag. "Guess what? I got a present from the Librarian."

"You and your dragons," Erica chuckled when she saw the book. "'A Book of Dragons', huh? You think there's something in there that you haven't memorized yet?"

"Maybe. Even then, I don't care," Rachel smiled as she gingerly opened the book and flipped through the pages. "I am _so _looking forward to turning eighteen so I can get out of this town."

"You're always thinking that," Erica teased as she sat cross-legged at the end of her friend's bed, smirking when Rache rolled her eyes at her.

"Well, yeah, but I was thinking that I'm gonna get myself a place in the country. Near a forest. Away from most people. Maybe on a lake."

"Very picturesque," Erica agreed, raking her fingers through her short hair to pluck the stupid barrettes her private school made her wear. "You could open a kennel for dogs, or raise horses. Or become the area's insane, scary, hermit-lady. Sittin' on your porch with a shotgun full of rock salt."

Rachel grunted in mock-anger and smacked the other teen with a pillow. "Oh, aren't we funny today."

A snicker and a grin was her response. "If only I could draw the image in my head."

"I think it's best for everyone if you keep your warped mental images to yourself."

"But I _like _sharing!" Erica batted her eyes at her friend and shrieked a giggle when Rache whacked her with the pillow again. "Hey!"

Rachel smirked and flopped backwards, lying across the blankets. "'Hey' yourself," she drawled, staring up at a poster of a dragon that she had tacked onto the ceiling. "Not my fault you're so touchy."

"'Touchy' my ass."

"Sorry, hun, I don't swing that way."

Erica rolled her eyes and swatted at Rachel's nearest foot before following her friend's gaze upwards. "That's why you love dragons as much as you do, isn't it?" she murmured softly as she took in the image of the dragon relaxing in a spot of sunlight. "Because they symbolize freedom?"

"Not sure. It isn't something I can describe. Maybe it's 'cause most of my memories of my mother are of her telling me stories about dragons." Rache gave the poster one last look before sitting up again and looking at her friend. "Did you want to go over what we studied last week?"

"Sure, but... I though you already mastered that spell."

Rachel smiled and reached for the worn-out looking book sitting on her night table. The two of them had been studying the spell book for a little over a year. Said spell book was one of the only things Rachel had left of her mother. It had been locked, impossible to open, until, on her sixteenth birthday, she had entered her room and found the book laying on her bed, open, as if waiting for her. She had greedily read it from cover to cover, twice, before approaching Erica with the idea to try to learn the spells written within.

They had gone through the book before carefully selecting which spells appealed to each of them, and which spells didn't. It had been a lot of hard work, but Rachel had mastered every spell that had interested her. Erica, however, found herself stumped by some of hers. "I did. But, I don't mind helping you."

"It comes so naturally to you, doesn't it?" Erica said wistfully. "I wish I could learn that easily."

"Maybe it's the ears," Rachel snickered, tucking a lock of her auburn behind her right ear, letting her friend see the unnatural point of it. "You wanna go outside and practice this?"

"Yeah. Um, do you have an extra pair of jeans? I don't think I'm dressed for a hike," her friend said, gesturing to her school uniform of a medium-length skirt and blouse. Her parents had thought her too civilized for the public school, hence the fact that they had forced her to enroll in the best private school in the area. It forced Erica up at five in the morning to catch an hour-long bus ride to the school, and then another long ride back home. They didn't realize how much she hated it there. All the rules, the dress codes, the snobbish attitudes of most of the students. They simply didn't understand how much she wanted to be a normal teen.

Rachel nodded, knowing 'Rica's hatred of the outfit she was wearing. She rose and went to rummage through a dresser drawer for a moment, smiling triumphantly as she pulled out an extra pair of blue jeans, and a t-shirt. "There ya go. It's a good thing we wear the same sized clothes huh? Oh, and there's an extra pair of sneakers in the closet."

"Thanks. I'm gonna take over your bathroom for a minute," Erica smiled as she gathered the clothes and headed into the little side-bathroom.

A sigh left Rache as the other teen closed the door, leaving her to reach out and grab her new book. She flipped through the pages aimlessly before stopping and staring at a picture of a golden dragon flying over a forest. _Freedom..._ She turned the page frowned at a painting of a knight fighting a dragon, before turning the page again, ending up at a picture of a dragon peacefully speaking with a peasant. _It'd be nice. But like my bitch of an Aunt, and Erica keep telling me, dragons aren't real, no matter how much I wish they were. _

"Ready!" Erica announced as she walked out of the bathroom, pirouetting as she did so. "How do I look?"

"Like you're going hiking." Rachel smirked as she set the book aside and grabbed her backpack, upending it to dump her school stuff on the floor before shoving the 'Book of Dragons' and the spell book into it. Once they were safety tucked inside, she went to the bottom drawer of her dresser to grab a pouch of herbs and a pouch of gemstones, turning to smile at Erica as she added them to her bag. "Good to go."

Her hand had just landed on the doorknob of her bedroom door when she heard a familiar car pull up outside, and she froze as she listened to the engine cut off before footsteps stomped up the porch stairs, the front door bursting open moments later. "Um. Let's take the back way. Hurry."

Erica nodded and went over to the window, opening it fully and looking at the large maple tree that overhung the house before reaching out to grab a thick branch, pulling herself outside. She hung there for a second, looking back towards Rachel to make sure her friend was following before she set her foot on a lower branch and started to climb down.

Rachel's heart was hammering in her chest as she followed Erica. And despite her best efforts, she couldn't muffle a gasp of fear as the sound of her bedroom door being kicked open registered. Knowing what would happen if she was caught, she let go and dropped the last six feet, landing on all fours in front of a startled Erica. "Run!" she hissed as she lunged to her feet and grabbed Erica's arm, dragging her across the unkempt backyard.

"This is nuts! You shouldn't have to sneak around your own home!" Erica gasped as she let her friend pull her across a dead field and into a small patch of forest, falling silent when she heard loud curses from behind them.

"I shouldn't but I do," Rachel said as she sped up, propelling Erica over a small rock bridge that spanned over a stream and following her seconds later. "We're okay now. The spells I placed on the bridge keeps him away. Gods. Talk about your close calls. You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm alright. You?"

"I'll live. C'mon."

Erica followed her friend deeper into the woods, frowning as she recalled the look of fear on Rache's face when she had heard her Aunt's boyfriend arrive. She knew that Rachel's Aunt and her Aunt's boyfriend were messed up. Had one of them actually gone as far as to abuse her? "Rache?"

"Hmm?"

"Did... Has he ever?"

Rachel paused and looked back at her friend, sighing when she saw the intense worry in her expressive blue eyes. "Hit me? Only when he can catch me. Which isn't often. At least not anymore. C'mon, we're almost there."

Erica sighed and nodded, walking by her side as the other teen led her deeper into the trees, unerringly heading towards a small patch of clear ground. "This..."

"This is where I run to. I made it last month," Rachel sighed as she stepped over a tiny bed of herbs and strolled over to the makeshift tent she had made out of a tarp.

Erica stepped over the old wooden threshold and looked at the 'tent'. It took everything she had not to let tears flow. Though, as she took a better look, Erica had to admit, it wasn't as bad as she had first thought. The tent was made up of three tarps, one to line the ground while the other two were placed to keep out any rain or wind. There was a large Rubbermaid container inside, the clear plastic letting her see the clean blankets and pillows that were stored inside. Another container held an array of canned goods.

Still, her conscience nagged at her. "Rache... You know that you can always come over right?"

"Yeah, but your folks'll kill me if I show up at three in the morning again," Rachel shrugged. "Besides, I like spending time here. It's... calming. So. You up for a little magick?"

"Sure," Erica murmured, turning away from the tent and following Rachel over to a small patch of moss. It didn't surprise her to see that the moss was formed into a perfect circle, just big enough for the two of them to sit in. _She's been experimenting with her magicks again... _"How long did it take you to form this?"

Rachel grinned. "Twenty minutes. It's a sort of casting circle, though I've only really used it for protection while I dabble." She said as she dropped down onto the soft moss and set her bag in her lap, pulling out her spell book and grinning up at the still standing Erica. "You gonna gawk at me for the rest of the day?"

"I might!" 'Rica laughed as she moved to sit across from her friend. "I'm starting to envy you. You learn things so quickly!"

"No biggie. You're more of a Medium, anyway. It's why you can do that empathy mojo with animals," Rachel shrugged as she opened the spell book, her attention wandering as she took another look at the forest around them, the sight bringing up a mental image of the poster that was tacked to her ceiling.

"Yo! Erica to Rache! You awake?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry. I kinda... drifted off."

"Do tell. Woolgathering?"

"Gather-whating?"

"Dragon-dreaming."

She blushed. "Maybe."

"Uh huh."

"Okay, so, yeah, maybe I wish that they really existed. Hell, I wish I had been born in a time where I wouldn't be arrested for beating the livin' daylights out of someone who tried to brain me with a baseball bat!"

"There wouldn't be baseball bats in the those times," Erica pointed out with a smirk.

"You know what I mean!"

Erica's smile faded as she met her friends haunted gaze. "Yeah. I know. People suck."

Rachel nodded morosely and stared down at the spell book, fingers digging into the old leather cover as she fought to keep her depression from taking over. "I _hate _it here, 'Rica. If you weren't here... Gods, I would have slit my wrists years ago! I'm _tired_, 'Rica. I'm so damned _tired_."

Tears clouded Erica's vision as she rose to her knees and reached out to drag her friend into a hug, shivering when Rachel sucked in a breath and hid her face against her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." She pulled back a few seconds later, gripping the other teen's shoulders as she met Rachel's gaze. "I wish you could be safe, too."

The words had barely left her lips, when the spell book in Rachel's lap started to glow a bright green, making both girls scramble to their feet. Both of them quickly wiped tears away, trying to focus on the brightly glowing tome. They would have run for cover had the Circle not closed, an invisible wall trapping them in the mossy circle. The old book's pages flipped on their own as the book rose into the air, wisps of light curling around it, seemingly extending from the pages before curling inwards and vanishing again.

"What's going on?" Erica cried, grabbing hold of the other teen's arm.

"I dunno!" Rachel yelled, automatically moving to shield Erica. "I think we activated a spell!"

"No, shit! Really? I hadn't noticed!"

Rachel glared at her for a moment before she turned her gaze back to the book, frowning at the very visible wind-like fog that billowed out of the open book, filling the Circle until it was nearly to their waists. "Rica, hang on! Don't let g-!" A blinding flash of light cut her off, Erica's frightened yelp the last thing she heard before the world tilted and turned upside down.

When the fog cleared, both girls and the book were gone. Only the charred circle of moss remained. A silent testimony to what had happened.

tbc


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue._

* * *

><p><span>996 A.D.<span>

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-oof! _Owww_."

Rachel groaned where she had faceplanted onto the hard ground, trying to force her rebelling lungs to _work _before she passed out from lack of air. It was a long, scary, moment before her lungs finally obeyed, her diaphram spasming as she gasped for air... and then promptly choked on the lungful of dirt she had inhaled.

She had almost recovered when Erica landed on top of her, once again driving the air from her. "..._gedoff!_"

"Shit! Sorry!" Erica gasped, franticly scrambling off of her friend and slumping onto the ground next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Gimme a minute..." Rachel groaned as she sat up and took in a few deep breaths, stubbornly ignoring the ache in her right side as she looked around, her eyes widening when she realised that they were in the middle of a large field of grain. "Where the hell are-_ack!_" The last was caused by the sudden impact of the spellbook slamming onto her skull, reuniting her skull with the ground. "..._Owww!_ This is getting mighty old, mighty fast!"

"Are you okay?" Erica asked while smothering a giggle.

The other teen winced and pushed herself into something that resembled a sitting position, cradling her aching head in her hands. "Yeah... As long as things stop hitting me in th' head!" Rache groaned, massaging her temple as she peered between her fingers at their surroundings. "Th' hell are we?"

Erica rose to her feet and spun in a circle, spotting wheat, wheat, and, surprise, more wheat. "I have no clue. There aren't any wheat fields around town... are there?"

"Not that I know of..." Sighing, Rachel stiffly rose to her feet and tucked the spellbook under her right arm. A glance up at the sky only added to her unease. "The sun's at the wrong spot. Should be a few hours away from sunset. That looks like morning."

"Well, crap."

Rachel thought Erica summed that up rather nicely.

"Vagabonds!"

"Huh?" Rachel snapped her gaze towards source of the yell and blinked as an arrow embedded itself into the ground next to her left foot. Startled, she jerked her gaze up from the arrow and stared at the man on horseback that was riding towards them, another arrow notched into his crossbow. "The _hell?_"

"_Run!_" Suiting actions to works, Erica spun and bolted, dimly aware that Rachel was right behind her as she ran. A quick glance over her shoulder her gave her the only look of her pursuer that she wanted, taking the crossbow he was aiming in their direction to mean that if they didn't speed up, they were basically screwed.

Rachel frowned, and spared a glance at Erica, who was gasping heavily as she struggled to keep up the hectic pace. _Damn. We can't outrun a freakin' horse!_

Skidding to a stop, Rache turned and glared at the man on horseback, thoughts whirling. Taking a deep breath, she rose her right hand, her palm facing outwardsas she spoke one, sharp, word. The blast of fridgid wind that she summoned managed to not only frighten the rider, but put the horse into a panic as well, making the creature skid to a dead stop before it gave a scream of fright and turned tail. _Sorry. Your rider didn't give me much of a choice. _

"Rachel! C'mon!" Erica called from the depths of the field.

She made sure the rider was gone before turning to sprint over to the other teen. "You okay?"

"I'll live. Good thinking with that spell."

"Thanks. C'mon, let's put some distance between us and where ever the hell this is," Rachel said softly as she brushed past Erica and headed towards a patch of forest at the far edge of the field.

She knew, the moment they stepped foot into the forest, that they weren't anywhere near town. It didn't _feel _right. The forest had a clean, pure, sense to it that the forest near their town didn't have. There wasn't any garbage littering the ground, or any marks on the trees. The underbrush was vibrant, untrampled, and covered nearly every part of the forest floor.

"Rache?" Erica called after a few minutes of staring at her statue-still friend.

"...yea?"

"We're not home, are we?"

Rachel sighed and looked over at her. "No. We're not. I don't know where we are, 'Rica. But, I think I hear water up ahead. We'll stop there for a bit, okay?"

"Sure. I could use a drink." _Or a cold splash of water to wake me up._

It only took them a few more minutes of walking before they reached a small creek, and Erica loosed a heavy sigh as she dropped to her knees on the fern-lined shore and plunged her hands into the cold water. After a drinking her fill and splashing the cool liquid over her face and neck, she sat back on her knees and looked over at Rachel. When her friend gave no sign that she knew she was there, Erica tossed a small rock at her, effectively gaining her attention. "Hey. Don't you space out on me. You're the only thing that's keeping me from running around screaming and pulling my hair out."

Rachel chuckled and stepped away from the water's edge. "You can do that anyway, it'll be fun to watch," she snickered, laughing when she received a splash of water as an indignant answer.

"So. What do you think happened?" Erica said as she stood and brushed dirt from the knees of her jeans.

"I dunno. I really don't." Rachel sighed, shaking her head to accent the statement. "Obviously we activated a spell, but damned if I know which. I thought I knew every major spell in this book..." Another sigh left her as she frowned down at the book in her hands, scowling at the dark, worn, cover. "I'll need time to look through it again. Maybe I missed something."

'Rica bit her lip, holding back what she had been planning to say. She knew that Rachel had memorized everything in the spellbook - the other teen had to have read that book cover to cover fifty times or more. Whatever had happened, had been triggered by something much more powerful than whatever she or Rachel could conjure up.

Knowing better than to mention anything, Erica rose to her feet and brushed dirt off her jeans. "I think we should try to find out where we are. Or, at the very least, find a safer spot to crash at so you can have time to go through that book again."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea." Rachel tucked the book under her arm again, then eyed their surroundings critically. "Upstream or downstream?"

"Um, eeeny, meeny, miny, moe?" When her friend glared at her, Erica shrugged. "Upstream. Tiny creek like this has to be fed by something bigger, right? I mean, that's what a show on the Discovery Channel said."

Rachel rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh, yes, when in doubt, do what the Discovery Channel says. Wonderful survival tip there, 'Rica."

"Shaddup. Bitch."

"Nag." Traditional snarking finished, Rachel sent her friend a final, amused, smile, then started to pick her way along the bank, wading through ferns and dense grasses that flourished by the creek's edges.

The sun had continued along it's predestined path during their trek through the forest, rising from it's mid-morning position until it beat down upon them, the heat and angle telling Erica that it was past noon. It was a good thing they were following the creek; travelling through a forest without following an already existing path was hot and tiring work. 'Rica considered it a small miracle that neither of them had tripped and twisted an ankle, or fallen headlong into the creek itself.

Finally, just as Erica spotted a clearing - blessed be, an end to the forest! - Rachel tensed and stopped dead in her tracks, tilting her head as if listening to something that she, herself, couldn't hear.

"What is it?" Erica whispered, knowing that those pointed ears of Rachel's weren't just an odd mutation. The other teen's hearing was amazingly sharp, especially when she concentrated.

The auburn-haired teen frowned, then rose a finger to her lips, signalling for Erica to be quiet before she gestured for her friend to follow her as she crept upstream.

"It's all very good to go about hacking and whacking dragons! But, if a dragon falls in the forest, and no one gets to hear about it, does it make a thud?"

Erica paused in mid-step and exchanged baffled glances with Rachel. "Dragon?"

Rachel shrugged and took another step forward, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream of shock when a ear-shattering roar cut through the air. She was seconds away from following a panicked Erica back into the woods before her curiousity overruled her fear. Gesturing for Erica to stay put, Rachel crept forward, pausing once again when she discovered that the creek they had found was fed by a large pool at the base of a waterfall.

Kneeling behind a large boulder, she peeked over the rocky edge and blinked at a Knight on horseback... and a monk. Luckily, the roar of the waterfalls managed to smother her startled yelp when a half-decomposed corpse of a horse and rider exploded from the falls and flew towards the Knight, who barely managed to avoid it by ducking low in his saddle. _There must be a cave behind the falls! _

"That's all that's left of the last dragonslayer that tangled with me! If I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead!" The shout resonated throughout the stone beneath her, and she couldn't help but snicker at the monk's cry of fright when he accidentally picked up the floating head of the corpse. _Wait a minute! Dragonslayer? _

Rachel was still trying to process that new tidbit of information when the Knight launched his javelin into the waterfall, the sound of his yell jarring her out of her thoughts. Holding her breath, fingers curled tightly around the spellbook, she leaned forward a bit more to get a better view, only to discover that the weapon had jarred to a stop halfway through the falls. It hung there, quivering for a moment before numerous loud crunches were heard, the javelin vanishing a foot at a time into the curtain of water.

Finally, Erica, not liking being left out - even if the situation was ridiculously insane and dangerous - crept over to Rachel's side. "What's going on?"

"Just watch," Rachel whispered, smiling when several pieces of what used to be the javelin were launched out of the falls, impacting loudly with the Knight's hastily risen shield.

"You know I've got quite a collection in here!" the voice boomed again.

"I won't be added to it!" The Knight shouted back.

Rachel growled and picked up a fist sized stone, glancing at Erica when her friend grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Erica gasped.

"I'll explain later! Just trust me!" she whispered before jerking her arm free and launching the rock, grinning when it smacked the Knight right in the forehead.

"Rache, what the hell?" Erica yelped. "Are you insane?"

Rachel chuckled. "Only enough to be interesting," she retorted before clambering up onto a boulder and smirking at the sputtering Knight. "Now what exactly do you think you're doing, hmm? Y'know, I hated bullies when I was in my own town, you think I'm gonna like them any better in a different environment?"

"You don't know what you're doing, child!" the monk shouted at her worriedly, flailing dramatically as he tried to slosh his way out of the pond. "That dragon is evil!"

Erica blinked. _Dragon?_

"Oh, yeah? Cuz I don't see him backin' you into a corner and threatenin' to kill you. All I see is a couple of soakin' wet idiots." Rachel snapped as she glared at them.

"This isn't the time for games, wench!" The Knight snapped, quickly rising his shield to deflect another thrown rock.

"Wench?" Erica grumbled, handing another rock to Rachel, who happily threw it. "Gods, can he be anymore insulting?"

"Child, please! You're in terrible danger!" That was from the Monk.

A low, insulted-sounding, growl rumbled from behind the falls, drawing both Rachel and Erica's gazes before the former teen's eyes narrowed. "We're nowhere near town, Erica," Rachel murmured, glancing from the spellbook to the Knight.

"Yeah. I'm starting to figure that out. You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

"Mm-hm."

Erica shook her head. "If you get us killed, I'll never forgive you."

"Noted, brighteyes." Rachel smiled and tossed the spellbook at the red-head, who yelped and nearly fumbled the catch before hugging the book to her chest. "Hold the book. I don't want to get it wet."

The Monk, meanwhile, was arguing with the Knight. "Sir Knight, you can't wage a battle against that beast with those two children in the battlefield! It would mean their deaths!"

Rachel smirked and mentally judged the distance between herself and the Knight. "Yeah," she drawled, grinning at the two men when they turned to look at her. "Because we're just two defenceless little waifs in need of a big, strong, man to protect us." And before either of them could comment on her snarky tone, she launched herself off her perch and tackled the Knight right off his horse.

They crashed into the freezing water, the horse giving a started neigh before shying away from them. They grappled. The Knight was stronger, but she had been in more close quarter fights. She braced a foot against his stomach and flipped him off her, rolling to her feet afterwards and shaking her soaked hair out of her eyes. The Monk looked completely scandalised, and the Knight blinked at her from where he had landed, as if he didn't know how he had gotten there.

Erica clapped. "Defenceless waif, one. Big, strong, stupid, man, zero."

"Naturally," Rachel smirked, watching the Knight closely as he got to his feet and started over to her, looking as if he was torn between striking her or shaking her silly. She let him close the distance, and when he shot a hand out to grab her shirt - or maybe strike her, he looked rather upset - she caught his arm, spun into him, and threw him over her shoulder.

The next time, he wasn't as calm. "You're _protecting_ that beast? Are you insane?"

"Only enough to be interesting- whoa!" It was sheer luck that had her dancing out of reach of his sword, using her momentum to turn her body in a perfect roundhouse kick that struck him in the back and sent him back into the water. Shaking, she shot a glare at the falls behind her. "Yo! _Run! Fly! _Do _something_, just get the hell out of here already!"

"Oh, no, you don-!"

A stomp on his foot and an elbow into his stomach shut the Knight up again, giving her enough time to take in a shaking breath before the waterfall exploded behind her. She gave a startled shriek and automatically ducked, raising her bruised arm to deflect the wave of water that soaked her to her skin.

But she kept her eyes open, staring up in awe at the dragon that had just leapt through the curtain of water. Patches of his hide glistened in the sun, the water accenting the already present tones of gold and bronze in his scales as his wings spread to their full width, beating strongly to gain altitude. Just before the gust of wind from his wings sent her tumbling back into the water, the dragon lowered his gaze to hers, staring at her...

Anything else was obliterated by her entrance into the cold waters of the falls.

By the time she had managed to slosh her way out of the pond, the dragon was gone, and the Knight, with a rather scathing glare in her direction, had remounted his horse and taken off after it, paying little attention to the Monk that scrambled after him.

"Ugh. Men."

"Rache!" The call drew her gaze to Erica as the teen scrambled over to her.

"I'm okay!" Rachel assured her. "I'm okay. Just-" she paused and sneezed, "...cold. And wet. Did I mention cold?"

Erica reached her and hugged her tightly for a moment before pulling back and smacking her upside the head. "You scared the hell out of me! Don't you ever do that again!"

"Sorry!" she grinned, raising her hands to fend off any more hits. When she was fairly certain that Erica wasn't going to whack her again, Rachel dropped down to sit on the pebbled shoreline and tugged her right sneaker off, grumbling as she shook water out of it. She was in the process of ringing the water out of her socks when the red-headed teen sighed and plopped down next to her. "I can't feel my toes."

Erica rolled her eyes. "That happens when you fling yourself into ice-cold water."

"Mm. But didja see the look on that Knight's face?"

"You should have seen the Monk's! He looked entirely too much like a fish."

"Trout or bass?"

"Bass. Bigmouth Bass."

"Aw. I missed it." She wiggled her toes, then gave up waiting for sensation to come back and replaced her socks and sneakers. "Ugh. Let's get out of here."

'Rica sighed and got to her feet, going to reclaim the spellbook she had left hidden in some ferns. "And where are we supposed to go?"

"I dunno." Rachel drew the last word out as she pulled a black pouch from her pocket and shook it in Erica's direction, the coins within jangling. "But if we find a town, we can go _shopping!_"

"You _didn't_."

"I most certainly did."

"You stole that from the Knight!"

"Yup!"

Erica stared at her friend blankly for a long moment, then grinned. "You're an evil, evil, person. I love you."

"Yup."

* * *

><p>It was well after sunset when they finally stopped for the night, and a now dry Rachel didn't bother to hide her tired yawn as she trudged around their campsite, picking up pieces of fallen branches. By the time she had gathered enough to keep a fire going for the night, she was practically sleep-walking. Doing a controlled collapse onto the ground, she piled some dry leaves and twigs together and set it ablaze with a simple fire spell, waiting until she was sure she wouldn't smother the flame before adding actual wood to the fire.<p>

A loud sigh made her look over at Erica as her friend sat down across from her, the red-head looking about as awake as Rachel felt. They hadn't managed to find a town. What they had found, however, was an apple tree. Without any way to carry provisions, they had eaten their fill, then pocketed a few apples and continued on.

Rachel shifted a little and pulled her final apple out of her pocket, using a corner of her tank top to clean it off before taking a bite. "So," she said in between mouthfuls of the delicious fruit. "Any ideas on where we are?"

"None. No, wait, that's not true. We're exactly where you wished to be," Erica sighed, raising her gaze to meet the hazel one of her friend. "We're in the medieval ages where you're allowed to defend yourself, where you can be as free as you want and... and where dragons exist."

"Still having a bit of trouble coming to terms with the last one, huh?"

"Well, yeah... I mean, I don't think it's a _bad _thing. But, I haven't revered them all my life like you have, y'know? We don't know where we are, or... or _when _we are. We're totally out of our league. And, I could _really _go for a burger right now."

"Don't even mention decent food," Rachel muttered as she finished off her apple and tossed the core into the fire.

"Sorry. But, you're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"A little, yeah."

"Though I know one thing you do miss."

"Mmm?"

"Pizza."

Rachel groaned. "Stop that. You're being cruel."

"Ice cream."

"'Rica."

"Chocolate."

"Okay okay! Stop it already you bloody sadist! Gods..." Rachel glared at her testily for a moment, then smirked. "Chocolate covered strawberry Dairy Queen Blizzard."

"Now _that _is just pure evilness," Erica chuckled as her friend yawned and lay down, stretching out on her back. _She's got the right idea. I'm exhausted. _

Rachel sighed and stared up at the stars, listening to Erica move closer to her before her friend lay down. A quick glance told her that 'Rica seemed to be almost asleep, and Rachel smiled as she put her right arm behind her head and turned her gaze back up to the stars. There was a certain constellation she was trying to find-

"_Rachel!_"

She bolted upright at the scream, and looked over at a frightened Erica. "What? What's wrong?"

"What's that sound?"

Rachel paused and managed to make out the lonesome hoot of an owl over her frantic heartbeat. "It's just an owl, 'Rica."

"You sure?"

Rachel groaned. "_Yes_." Knowing that she wasn't about to get any rest anytime soon, she shifted so she was sitting lotus-style in front of the fire and picked up the spellbook. "You haven't camped out before, huh? Just go to sleep, 'Rica. I'll keep an eye out, okay? No big bad owls will get you." When it looked like Erica was going to protest, Rachel glared at her until her friend rolled her eyes and lay back down.

The auburn-haired teen sighed and opened the book, dropping her gaze onto the old pages. She skimmed over the spells she had memorised, looking for something that she might have missed. Anything that could explain what had happened.

But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

An hour later, shoulder's slumped tiredly, she set the book aside, then chanced a look over at Erica. The other teen seemed to be asleep, and, after throwing another branch onto the fire, Rachel lay down again and turned her attention to the stars.

Sleep claimed her minutes later.

tbc


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belongs to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue._

* * *

><p>Low warbles of songbirds and the sensation of a breeze sending her hair into her face tugged Rachel back into consciousness. Blinking dazedly, she rose a hand to rub at her face, then groaned and sat up, wincing at the ache in her back. The campfire had died overnight, the cold ashes stirred up a little by the wind. A quick glance upwards and a mental tally of the suns position made her guess that it was a few hours after sunrise.<p>

She spared a glance at Erica while she picked grass and leaves out of her hair. "'Rica? 'Rica, c'mon. Get up."

When her answer came in the form of a low grumble, Rachel rolled her eyes and reached out to nudge her friend in the shoulder. "Rise and shine!"

Erica groaned, stretched out an arm, and patted her hand across the ground before her questing fingers latched onto the spellbook. With another grumble, she yanked the book over her head, using it to block the sun's light. "I'll rise, but I _refuse _to shine. What time is it?"

"Early."

"Ugh. You think there's coffee here?"

"Seriously doubt it," Rachel sighed, gazing over at her friend. "You look stupid with that book balancing on your head."

"The sun needs a dimmer switch."

Rache gave a non-commital hum and grabbed a stick to poke at the ashes, making sure the fire was truly dead. "I think there's a village nearby."

The other teen opened her eyes and rolled over. "How do you know that?"

"I... I'm not sure." She scowled at the ashes. "I've been starting to sense things. The land nearby... it feels lived on."

"You're weird."

"Yeah. I know."

Erica winced at the melancoly tone of Rachel's voice. "Sorry."

"No. I _am _weird. I'm a _freak_, 'Rica. I'm sitting here, and if I _concentrate_, I can _feel _how big this forest is. I can hear at least ten species of birds, sense the small herd of deer that are feasting on the apples from that tree we passed last night..." She shivered and hid her face in her hands. "Oh, I can't believe I dragged you into this mess! Why the hell do you even hang out with me, 'Rica? You've got a normal life, decent parents..."

"Parents that don't even know that I'm an X-Men fangirl, or that I've beaten Halo 3 on Xbox, like, a _hundred _times. They don't have the slightest clue that I collect comicbooks, or that I prefer the guitar over the - bleh -" she paused and shuddered, "_violin_. Mom's _always _at work. Dad's out trading money on the stock exchange and cavorting around with his _mistress _- even though I'm not supposed to know about that tart. I was raised by the family dog and the freaking _maid_,Rache! And then they send me to some preppy, over-priced school for _snobs_... Gods, Rache, you're the only _real _family I have!"

When Rachel didn't say anything, Erica frowned and moved to sit next to her. "Okay, you wanna talk weird? Fine. When I was six, my best-friend was a ghost that haunted our house. She had died in the late eighteen-hundreds from tuberculosis. Her name was Sally McPhearson. She taught me how to knit. We knew each other for two years before I moved. Then when I was eight, I somehow managed to get lost on a class trip to a National Park. Spent a week wandering through the wilderness, and the only reason I survived was because a mated pair of ravens took care of me and guided me home. At eleven, fifty miles from where I lived when I was eight, those ravens tracked me down to see how I was doing and decided to nest in the big tree in the backyard. Twelve, I healed a young bird with a broken wing. Thirteen, some black shadow with glowing yellow eyes attacked me and the only reason I survived is because my Grandmother was visiting and she turned out to be a closet Wiccan. Things just get weirder the older I get. So, yeah. You wanna compare freakosity, I can sit here alllllll day."

Rachel's shoulders slumped as she glanced over at her friend. "That was a long-winded way of telling me to shut up, wasn't it?"

"It was mostly to remind you that you're not the only freak here. And to, y'know, quit moping."

Hazel eyes locked with blue for a long minute before Rachel's lips quirked up into a smirk. "Your pep talks need work."

Erica snickered. "Bitch."

"Nag."

A pause. "Can we go buy some food now?"

"Yeah. C'mon. It's not too far."

* * *

><p>An hour later found the two heading to the village's stables, where their newly purchased horses were waiting. Their more 'modern' clothes were hidden away in the saddlebags each was carrying. It had been Erica's idea to buy new clothes, to 'better blend in'. Rachel privately thought that her friend was just a shopping fiend, but hadn't really put up much of a fight.<p>

They had each purchased a pair of soft, dark brown leather pants, matching boots, and two clean tunics apiece. Erica had been drawn to a cream long-sleeved top, and a pale grey one, while Rachel had taken two short sleeved tunics, one in green, the other a pale blue. Each had been able to purchase hooded cloaks to ward off the elements, green for Erica, and a dark brown for herself.

Joining the spellbook and their jeans and tee-shirts in the saddlebags was enough food to last them for three days. There hadn't been enough money for any decent weapons, just enough for a dagger each, but Rachel was certain that, with their combined magickal abilities, they'd find a way to manage.

"I still can't believe you stole that Knight's money," Erica giggled as they neared the stables. "I wonder if he even noticed that you took it?"

"I honestly do not care. I just wanna get out of here. The locals keep staring at us like we're interesting bugs or something."

"So, it's not just me that's thinking that?" Erica pulled her cloak a bit tighter around herself, casting another glance around them before following her best friend into the stables. They were commanding a lot of attention. Enough that it was even starting to make her edgy, and she wasn't usually bothered by large crowds.

By the time she and Rachel had walked their chestnut mares out of the stables, Erica was certain that if people didn't stop staring at them that she was going to scream. A small part of her mind informed her that in these times, women probably weren't often seen gallivanting around the countryside, but it did little to calm her rising annoyance. Sighing, Erica gently patted her mare's flank before putting her foot in the stirrup and lithely pulling herself up into the saddle. The sight of Rachel struggling to do the same made her chuckle softly, earning herself a rather nasty glare from her friend once the other teen had managed to seat herself.

"I was six the last time I rode a horse, okay? I'm... just a little rusty," Rachel muttered defensively, wiggling a little to get comfortable on the saddle.

"Uh huh."

"Shut. Up."

"Heh."

Ignoring her friend's knowing grin, Rachel paused to yank her cloak off, then gently urged her mare forward, intent on getting out of the village as soon as humanly possible.

"_DRAGON!_"

"Huh?" Erica twisted in the saddle at the cry echoed across the surrounding fields, her mare nervously dancing in place as she watched the nearest field burst into flames. "Oh, _lovely_."

"Sarcasm becomes you," her auburn haired friend smirked as she looked from her friend to the dragon that swooped by overhead, his wings making whorls in the rising smoke as he swooped towards the grainery. "Hey! That's the same one as yesterday! What the hell's he doing here?"

"Blowing things up."

Rachel glared at her. "Thank you, Miss Obvious."

"You _asked_," 'Rica snarked back, eyeing the people that were running around them warily. She gave a shriek of fright moments later, when the grainery exploded, clouds of flour spreading a film of white over everything nearby. "Um... Can we go before the natives get restless?"

"The natives are on _fire_, I don't see how much more restless they can get." Still, her friend had a good point. Reining in her horse, Rachel urged the mare forward, passing through a cloud of burnt flour before spotting the nearby lake.

Erica grimaced and rose a hand to cover her mouth in a vain attempt to filter out some of the smoke, squinting into the fog. "I can't see anything!"

"Just follow me!" Rachel coughed. "Head for the lake! It's upwind of this mess! We can put some distance between us and this fire!"

"Wait for me!" Erica yelled, urging her horse after the other teen when Rachel goaded her mare into a full gallop. They bolted past three other riders that were heading into the village, and she grimaced when she saw that they were all heavily armed. But she held her tongue. The last thing she wanted was to attract any unwanted attention onto them, especially _armed _attention. "Crap."

Rachel glanced back at her. "What?"

"Nothing. Keep going."

* * *

><p>They were a few miles outside of the village when they stopped to let the horses rest and drink. They were well away from the outskirts of the grain fields that surrounded the village, far enough away that both teens hoped that it would spare them from having to deal with anyone. Clouds of smoke continued to billow upwards as the fields continued to burn. It was sheer luck that the shifting winds continued to push the smoke away from their location.<p>

Groaning, Rachel slid from the saddle and dropped to the ground, stumbling a little before regaining her balance. "Ow."

"Not used to horseback riding?" Erica asked as she dismounted with a grace that made Rachel growl at her before leading both horses to the water's edge.

"My ass is _killing _me."

The red-head laughed softly before shaking flour from her short hair. "You'll get used to it. Really."

"Ugh. Why aren't you in pain?"

"My folks enrolled me in riding classes, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Rachel let out an annoyed sigh and joined Erica, lightly brushing a film of flour and grime from her horse's arched neck as the mare drank. "So, what spooked you back there?"

"Those three riders we passed? They were armed to the teeth," 'Rica told her, blinking at the baffled look her friend gave her. "We don't have anything to defend ourselves with, remember?"

"Uh, hello? Magick?" Rachel reminded her, wiggling her fingers in Erica's direction. "You know enough to defend yourself."

"Think about it. We're in what is probably the Middle Ages, with Knights, and dragons. What do you think these people's opinions of witches are, hmm? Do the Salem Witch Trials ring a disturbing bell?" Erica folded her arms across her chest, nodding when understanding flickered to life in her friend's eyes. "Exactly."

"I didn't think of that," Rachel admitted with a frown. Mildly unnerved, she moved to crouch at the lake's edge, hiding her unease by cupping her hands in the water and drinking her fill before using her wet hands to comb dirt out of her shoulder-length hair. "It'll have to be a last resort thing then."

"Gonna have to be. I know you're not good at subtlety," Erica ignored it when her friend stuck her tongue out at her, "but we're going to have to lay low until we figure out what's going on."

"Yes, _mother_." Lightening the comment with a smile, Rache straightened and dried her hands on her pants. Movement on the horizon drew her attention, making her raise a hand to sheild her eyes from the sun as she squinted into the sky. "Hey! Look! It's him!"

Erica followed her friend's pointing finger and blinked at the dragon that was soaring across the horizon. "Wow. Talk about your frequent flier miles. He sure gets around. Wait, when did we decide that he's a 'he'?"

"Sounds better than 'it'," Rachel replied distractedly as she watched the dragon wing his way across the lake, heading back towards the village and it's burning fields.

A strangled cry escaped her moments later when a ballista sliced through the air, slamming into the dragon's chest. Horrified, she could do nothing but watch as he dropped from the sky, plummeting into the lake and vanishing into it's depths.

"Oh god..." Erica whispered, hands rising to her mouth. "Oh god, no."

Rachel stared at the waves the dragon's impact with the water had created, the cold horror that had settled in the pit of her stomach suddenly turning into a churning mass of boiling rage. Teeth bared in a snarl, she spun and vaulted onto her mare's saddle, roughly swinging the horse's head around before urging it into a full gallop.

"Rache, wait! Dammit, Rachel, wait for me!" Erica yelled, scrambling up into her own saddle before rushing after her friend. "What're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna have words with whoever shot that dragon!"

Erica shivered at the barely restrained anger in her friends voice, falling silent for a moment before nodding. "I'm with you."

Surprised, she shot a glance back at her companion. "Really?"

"Yup. All for one and one for all, remember?"

"This isn't a Disney movie."

"Good. Cuz if someone starts randomly singing they're gonna get a world of hurt."

Rachel blinked, then chuckled, shaking her head in wonder. "Thanks."

"No prob. Now c'mon!"

Nodding, the teen spurred her horse onwards, shooting another surprised glance towards Erica as she did so. _Looks like I'm a bad influence on her_, Rachel mused as she led the way back towards the village, smirking a little. _Good. Maybe she'll stand up to her folks when we get home. Get them to let her drop those violin classes for some guitar lessons._

* * *

><p>"...twenty eight... twenty nine... This is the best take I've gotten so far!" the Knight mused as he counted his new earnings, holding a gold coin up so it reflected the sunlight while his horse obediantly kept strolling along the lakeside. "Especially since I lost my savings."<p>

The thought pulled an annoyed sight from him. Twenty hard earned gold coins didn't just get up and walk away, no matter how odd his life had become. A dragonslayer in league with a dragon, how much weirder could things get?

The sound of galloping hoofbeats yanked him out of his thoughts, hands automatically tucking his new earnings into his belt before turning to frown at his unwanted visitor. If it was Felton come to strong-arm him into giving back the gold, the foppish idiot had another thing coming to him.

But what registered to his gaze wasn't Felton come to reclaim his gold. Instead, he stared right into furious hazel eyes, blinking stupidly as the auburn-haired girl loosed a scream and once again tackled him off his horse.

"You bastard!" Rachel growled as they tumbled to the ground, kneeing him in the crotch when she landed on top of him. Before the Knight managed to shake off the pain of her first hit, she had grabbed his shirt, lifted him a bit off the ground, and headbutted him. "What did he ever do to you?"

Erica winced as she reached them, watching as Rachel landed a particularly strong punch to the Knight's face. True, she shared Rachel's hatred that the Knight was a killer for hire, but she didn't have the same reasons behind it that Rache did. Granted, that didn't stop her from urging her friend onwards while she hopped off her horse and went to watch the fight.

"I _hate _people like you!" Rachel snapped, glaring down at the Knight venomously. He had scored a hit to her temple, and while her vision did do a momentary wobble, she didn't need to see properly to rain hits down on him. "What, do you go around murdering creatures just for the fun of it? For _money?_" She punched him again, ignoring the growing pain in her knuckles as she did so. "For _pleasure?_ You. Make. Me. Sick!" Her last four words were punctuated with four more hits, the last one breaking his nose with an audible crack.

"What's going on here?"

Rachel froze in mid-punch, her fist inches away from the Knight's already broken nose as Erica let out a gasp of shock from behind her. Slowly, as if in a dream, she rose her head and blinked up into a pair of golden orange eyes. She stared, her hair lifting from her shoulders as the dragon's wings beat strongly a final time, slowing his descent before he landed heavily and folded the great vanes against his back.

Sunlight shimmered off of gold and bronze scales, accenting the earth-toned hues of the dragon's colouring as he stepped towards her. Muscles rippled as he walked forward, his large wings folded tightly against his sides to allow maximum mobility on the ground.

Erica couldn't help but gasp in awe at the beauty and grace of the being that presented itself to them. The curious, yet wary, gaze of the creature came to rest on her for a moment before moving to her fellow teen, and she found herself stunned at the intelligence she had seen in those reptilian-like eyes.

Rachel couldn't breathe for a moment, afraid that if she did, that any sound she made would shatter the scene in front of her. _It's a dragon. A real dragon... He's magnificent._ A sharp tap on her right shoulder startled her, and she gasped as she glanced back at an amused Erica.

"You'd look mighty stupid if you passed out from lack of air," her friend pointed out with a smirk.

She blinked and turned her gaze back to the dragon - who apparently wasn't a figment of her over-active imagination - then shook herself, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "Y-you're alive!"

The dragon frowned. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"The ballista shot-!"

Erica cut her off by walking over and trying to get her off the Knight. "Rachel, I don't think that guy can breathe while you're sitting on his chest and digging your nails into his throat."

Hazel eyes glanced from Erica to the man who was pinned under her. "Your point?"

"My _point_, is that if the dragon's _alive _then you really don't have a reason to keep tenderizing this guy's face!" Erica retorted as she grabbed her friend's arm and literally _dragged _the teen off of him.

"Fine," Rache muttered, trying to shake feeling back into her right hand. "My hand hurts like hell anyway."

"Wait! Wait." The dragon's gaze darted from the two women, to the Knight, then back to the teens, staring at them in obvious shock. "You attacked him... because you thought he had killed me?"

"That was the reason behind Rachel's whole, 'I'm gonna pulverize the Knight' thing, yes," Erica answered as she used a torn strip of cloth to wrap up Rachel's right hand, worried at her friend's bruised and bleeding knuckles. "There. How's that feel?"

"Like I broke my hand on the idjits forehead. But, other than that, I'm peachy. Thanks," the other teen smirked, wincing as she gingerly flexed her fingers. Once she was sure that everything, while hurting, was still working, she sighed and looked up at the dragon, meeting his slightly stunned gaze. "I take it this doesn't happen very often around here, huh?"

The dragon glanced at the semi-coherant Knight, then shook his head. "Truthfully? No. It's been a very, very, long time since a human defended a dragon." He returned his gaze to the Knight, trying hard to hide a smirk as the man groaned and sat up. "Are you alright?"

"She bwoke my nose!"

Rachel, unable to help herself, grinned down at him. "I can break something else if you'd like."

"Rache, that seems a bit mean... Even if he does deserve it," Erica added, sending a glare in the Knight's direction.

"Who de hell awe you pweople?" the Knight mumbled as he tried to get to his feet, growling when the red-haired teen pushed him back onto the ground.

"You probably have a concussion, you idiot. So, sit your ass down before I sic Rachel on you again."

"Oh, how kind. What am I, an attack dog?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Erica grinned.

Rachel huffed and merely glared in response, refusing to answer. Instead, she sighed and ran her left hand through her hair, forcing herself to calm down as she looked over at the dragon, who was watching them in a mix of amusement and curiousity. "So, what's the deal? He tried to kill you, didn't he? So why the hell do you care about what happens to him? What, is this, like, some psychotically weird plan to... swindle... Oh."

A smile tugged at the dragon's muzzle. "Oh, indeed. It's a... a way to pass the time, I suppose. Though we didn't harm anyone. Well, nothing except the Lordship's purse."

"Can I ged up now?"

Rachel frowned and looked from the dragon to the Knight, quirking a brow at the disgruntled look the man was giving Erica. When her fellow teen reluctantly stepped back to give the Knight room to stand, she arched a brow and watched as he got to his feet, the glare he turned on her making her smirk. "Am I supposed to be afraid?"

Erica rolled her eyes. "Rachel, you just bought that tunic. Blood will ruin it."

"Whatever." She shoved the Knight away from her before the urge to hit him again became too strong. "Back off. You're standing in my aura."

Sending the dragon an apologetic look, Erica walked back to their horses and climbed up onto her mare's saddle. "C'mon, Rache. We came, you hit someone, and the dragon's alive and well. Can we _go _now? Preferably _before _you get us killed?"

"Nag," Rachel teased, oblidgingly returning to her own horse and murmuring soft reassurances to the animal when it gave a nervous whiney and tossed it's head, eyes fixated on the nearby dragon.

Still surprised at what he had seen, the dragon continued to gaze at the two women in badly veiled awe. Two complete strangers, obviously not of this land, had taken on a Knight of the realm... for him. It simply amazed him that there were still souls such as theirs roaming the world. Only the Celts had such feelings for his kind. Even then, very few would have dared to attack an armed dragonslayer.

"Wait," slipped out of him before he could stop himself. He couldn't let them go. Not without finding out who they were. It couldn't be a coincidence that their paths had crossed. Not on the first day in _years _that he dared to venture out from the shadows. "Where will you go?"

"That way," Rachel announced, pointing east.

"Oh, a big help you are," Erica snickered as she leaned forward to pat her horses neck when the mare danced a little, nervous at being so close to a huge carnivore. "Seriously though. We're, uh... We're not from around here. So we're just basically wandering."

"Bess make sure you don' addack anyone else," the Knight mumbled sourly as he prodded his broken nose, trying to nudge it back into place. "I sure as hell won' come to you' wescue."

"We are not delicate waifs in need of saving," Rachel snapped. She smiled gleefully moments later as she walked over, grasped the Knight's nose between two fingers, then roughly snapped it back into place.

The Knight's howl made sent birds, for a mile around, into the air, and made the dragon visibly wince.

"Well, we know his lungs work," Erica muttered as his pained yell finally died out

Rachel eyed him as he whimpered and clutched at his face. "Wuss."

"Rache, not everyone has your high tolerance for pain."

"...Oops?"

"Yeah, _right._"

"Damned wenches."

Both teens looked at the Knight as the man lowered his hands and _glared_at them, his face purpling when they merely rolled their eyes at him, unimpressed.

While Rachel returned the man's dirty looks with an irritated glare, Erica turned to smirk up at the watching dragon. "Is he always so cheerful?"

A soft chuckle rumbled out of the dragon. "I think his ego is a little battered at the moment." He paused, then sighed. "Though I suppose he'll get worse as the pain sets in."

"Oy! I resent that!"

"Wow. You almost managed to look indignant," Erica smiled, ignoring his angry expression. "Be nice. At least you're don't sound like a lisping duck anymore."

"Okay, okay. Enough of this. It's too easy and starting to get rather pitiful," Rachel said to Erica as she hauled herself up onto her mare's back. "Besides, the dragon's going to end up killing himself trying not to laugh."

"Point."

_How long has it been since I've laughed? Over a decade?_ Taking a breath, the dragon got himself under control and shot an apologetic glance in the Knight's direction before looking over at the two teenagers. _Ten minutes with these two and I feel lighter than I have in years._

"We should get going," Rachel sighed, glancing over at the dragon a final time before coaxing her horse to turn towards the east, blinking when Erica leaned over and lay a hand on her left arm.

"You sure?" her friend murmured, frowning slightly.

She nodded. _If I don't leave now, I'm liable to attach myself to the dragon and never let go. _"Yeah."

"No!"

They paused, exchanging glances before turning to look at the Knight who had his fists on his hips while he glared up at the dragon.

"No way!"

"You don't even know what I was going to suggest!" the dragon protested, annoyed.

"I am _not _travelling with those two! They're insane! She broke my nose!"

"We're never going to hear the end of that," Erica whispered to Rachel, who snickered.

"Which? The insanity, or the breaking of his nose?"

"Both."

Rachel chuckled, looking over at the mismatched pair that were now nearing a full fledged screaming match. "Should we?"

"Probably," Erica shrugged, noticing the smoke rising from the dragon's nostrils. "Only we can prevent forest fires."

"That's _horrible_, 'Rica."

"Sorry."

tbc


	5. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

* * *

><p>The dragon won the arguement.<p>

Not that there was any doubt.

Well, not on the two teens part. The Knight had seemed to think otherwise. At least until the dragon had slammed a claw onto the ground only inches away from him and literally gotten in the man's face, finishing the arguement by stating that, _yes_, the two teens were going to accompany them, and, _no_, the Knight did _not_ have a say in it.

And that had been the end of that.

They were currently putting as much distance between them and the village as possible. The Knight was in the lead, the dragon soaring overhead while Rachel and Erica hung back a little, not wanting to interact with the grouchy man.

Rachel blew her bangs out of her eyes for the fifth time in as many minutes, idly wishing that she had something to tie her shoulder-length hair with. The last bit of sunlight was intense, baking her skin. Pinning her hair up would have allowed the slight breeze to cool the back of her neck. Her growing irritation had her discreetly reaching out to the natural energies around her, letting the calming rhythm of nature sooth her frayed nerves.

"Yo! Erica to Rache!"

She jumped, blinking as she snapped her gaze over to Erica, who smirked at her. "Sorry. What was that?"

"I asked how your hand was doing."

"Well, I know it's still attached due to the rather large amount of pain that's constantly making itself known." She rose her right hand and wiggled her fingers, eyeing the bloodstained cloth that Erica had tied around her knuckles. "Other than that, I'm fine."

"I can fix that."

Erica rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the glaring Knight, smiling at him sweetly. "We fear you not."

The dragon chuckled to himself as he soared over them, casually banking to the left as he started to circle the trio. Whoever these girls were, they weren't like any humans he had ever met before. They possessed a joy of life within them, though they also held a certain level of darkness as well. Especially the one with the hazel eyes. There were shadows in her eyes that spoke of a world weariness that was usually only present in those who were thrice her age. And her friend with the red hair seemed older than her years, wiser somehow.

He shook his head and did another circle around them, sighing when he saw that the Knight was counting his gold again. When had things turned so dark that even a Knight didn't care for the welfare of his realm? _Could I be wrong about him? Has he fallen so far that he can't be reached? _

The man smiled as the last coin clicked into the pouch, joining it's brothers. Wingbeats drew his attention, a chuckle leaving him as he closed the bag and waved it at his odd companion. "Most profitable dragon, I should have met you long ago!"

Gold and bronze scales glittered in the sunlight as the dragon swooped low, kicking off the ground with one hind foot. "There is much gold in the world. Perhaps when you've had your fill of it, you'll no longer need me."

"I'm a Knight of the Old Code. My word is my Bond!"

_Oh, is it now?_ Amused, the dragon did a lazy barrel-roll, wings curling around him. "No compunctions then?"

Rachel blinked, gesturing to Erica that they should hang further back as she rose her gaze to the circling dragon. _What's he up to?_

"Fleecing Einon's lackeys," the Knight gave a short, mirthless, chuckle. "That's a service to mankind."

Erica brought her horse next to Rachel's and leaned closer. "Who's Einon?"

"Damned if I know," the teen shrugged, watching the dragon curiously.

"Is it?" Wings spread wide for balance as the dragon copied the two-legger stance, walking backwards while he gazed down at he Knight. "When you squeeze the nobility, it's the peasants who feel the pinch."

"Why should I stick my neck out for people afraid to risk their own?" the Knight retorted hotly. "Don't clutter up a clever scheme with morality!"

Orange-gold eyes narrowed before the great dragon shrugged, hopping on one foot for a moment before taking to the air again. "So be it. Knight of the Old Code!"

"If I wanted my conscience pricked I would have stayed with the priest!" The man's voice lowered into a derisive sneer. "What does a _dragon _know of the Old Code anyway?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed at the condescending tone, feeling Erica reach out to grasp her arm, stopping her from interfering. _Asshole._

One more flyby, and the dragon proved exactly why most people didn't dare dragons like that, his voice rising as he recited the Code. "'His blade defends the helpless. His might upholds the weak. His word speaks only truth'-"

"_Shut up!_" The Knight tried not to let it show how powerfully those words had hit his heart. "I was there! That's all it is, a _memory!_ _Nothing_ can bring it back!" Even as the large beast landed beside him, he refused to look at it, glaring, instead, at the forest ahead.

Startled by the bitterness in the man's voice, the dragon turned his head to look at him and softened his tone. "You sound like one who tried."

"And failed! So I no longer try to change the world, dragon, I just try to get by in it."

_Oh. That sounds painfully familiar, Knight._ "Well... it's better than death I suppose."

"Is it?" the man retorted cruelly, ignoring the dragon's surprise at the venom in his voice. "I should think you'd welcome death. You know, the last of your kind, all your friends dead. Hunted wherever you go."

_You bastard! _Rachel struggled to get out of Erica's hold, seeing the dragon stop dead in his tracks as he stared at the Knight, an expression of pure torture on his face.

"Do you _delight_ in reminding me?" There was far more pain in his voice than he felt comfortable with. "Yes, Knight! I _do_ long for death! But... fear it."

Frowning, the man brought his horse to a standstill, twisting in the saddle to look back at the dragon. "Why? Besides your misery, what's to lose?"

The answer came without hesitation. "My soul." Pained eyes met the Knight's gaze, the emotion in those two words making the human turn away and urge his steed forward again. The dragon sighed heavily, twitching his wings before following. _That didn't go as well as I had hoped._ The sound of a yelp and a thud made him raise his gaze from the ground in front of him, blinking when he saw that the auburn haired teen had ridden up to the Knight and shoved him off his horse.

"Excuse me!" Rachel said innocently as she and Erica urged their horses past him. "My hand slipped!"

Erica grinned. "It happens from time to time. She's still learning how to ride!"

"Oh, by the way! We forgot to give this back!" With an evil grin, Rachel threw the empty coin purse she carried at the Knight, laughing when he caught the pouch and sputtered in incoherent rage. Erica's laughter joined hers as they rode past him. "You really should keep better track of your money!"

"So," Erica smiled after they had exchanged victorious high-fives, both of them ignoring the curses from the man behind them. "What's the plan?"

"Truthfully, I'm drawing a blank." Amusement gave way to worry as Rachel discreetly touched the saddlebag that contained the spellbook. "I studied the book last night. There's _nothing _in there that explains what happened. And, technically, neither of us are powerful enough to fuel the spell that brought us here."

"So we're stuck," Erica muttered with a sigh. "Crap."

"Yeah." Rachel ran her good hand through her hair again, a nervous gesture. "I don't want to believe that we're going to be stuck here forever just because of a stupid wish."

"It wasn't a stupid wish!" Erica protested. "You wanted to be happy! That's not stupid! We already had this fight, remember? I won."

"Still, I certainly didn't mean to drag you into this mess."

"Actually, I'm kinda enjoying myself."

"Seriously?"

"Are you kidding? This is much better than sitting in a crowded room for three hours freaking out over a calculas exam! Well, the idjit Knight isn't much of a bright side, but, seriously? Wayyy better than calculas." Grinning, Erica reached out and patted her friend's arm. "I made that wish too, y'know. Besides, you're saving me from violin lessons."

Rachel chuckled softly. "Thanks, 'Rica."

"No problem." She glanced back at the still grumbling Knight and grinned. "At least the entertainment factor is rather high around here. Besides, you can't tell me that you're not the least excited about all this."

"The dragon's got a small part of my attention," Rachel admitted, grinning all the while.

"A small part? Oh, you are _so_ lying!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Will you two shut up?"

They both turned and glared at the Knight. "NO!"

He grumbled. "Why me? And will you stop laughing?" The last was directed to the chuckling dragon next to him.

The dragon coughed lightly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he smothered his laughter, casually avoiding the Knight's glare as he looked at the two snickering women riding ahead of them. They leaned close to one another, whispering something before they broke apart again, the hazel-eyed girl glancing back at him curiously. Their gazes locked for only the briefest of moments before she smiled and looked away. _What is it about these two?_

The sound of the Knight loudly clearing his throat made him realize that the man had been speaking to him, and he quickly turned his attention to where it was being called. "Pardon?"

"I _said_ that we should start trying to find a decent campsite. It's not long till nightfall."

"Of course. Are you going to tell them or shall I?" he asked, gesturing to the two women with his snout.

"You do it. I'm going ahead."

_Bruised a little more than your nose, did they?_ He watched the Knight spur his horse towards the nearby forest and sighed. _Oh. This is going to be a long night._

"Hey! Where the hell's he goin'?" Rachel cried as the Knight rode past them, urging his horse into a full gallop.

"Well let's see," Erica mused out loud, counting on her fingertips. "First you threw rocks at him, tossed him around like a dummy, and stole his money. Then you attacked him _again_, broke his nose, waged verbal warfare on him and won with very little effort. _Then _we smacked him a few more times for good measure and you shoved him off his horse. Hmm. Yes. Yes, I do believe that we've pissed him off to the point that he's leaving us behind."

"Good. My hand still hurts."

"You have such a twisted sense of priorities."

"Oh, look who's talking miss 'you can destroy my thousand dollar violin, but if you touch my comic book stash I'll have to kill you'."

"It's not the same thing!"

"Ha!"

"Oh, 'ha' yourself."

"Excuse me."

The two teens blinked and glanced over at the dragon that was now walking by their side.

He smiled. "Bowen's gone ahead to scout out a campsite for the night. You'd best keep up with him, else he's liable to leave you behind."

"Lovely," Erica muttered, turning her gaze in the direction the Knight had gone in. "Can't see him. Rache?" She looked over at her friend and watched her for a moment as the teen stood up in her stirrups and stared into the forest, then smirked when Rache nodded and pointed.

"Got 'im," Rachel announced.

The dragon blinked and followed her pointing finger, frowning when his eagle-sharp eyesight could barely make out the Knight riding through the trees. "How did- Well. You certainly have excellent eyesight for a human. Er... no offence."

"None taken. So... we'll see you at the campsite then?"

He looked at her, momentarily surprised at the hope in her voice before he smiled at her warmly and nodded. "If you haven't reached us by dusk I'll come looking for you."

"Don't worry. Erica has a wicked sense of direction," Rachel grinned, glancing over at her best friend, who blushed. "We'll see ya there! C'mon 'Rica!"

The dragon watched the two ride into the forest in hot pursuit of the Knight and spread his wings, stretching them for a moment before he crouched and lunged into the air, wings snapping downwards for the crucial downbeat. _If I know Bowen, he's going to try to lose them in the forest. That man can be so infuriating._

A sigh left him as he soared over the treetops, stifling a undignified yelp when he flew too close to a particularly tall maple tree, the leaves tickling his underbelly. After a quick altitude adjustment, he glanced downwards, catching sight of the two women racing through the forest and rumbling when the one with the hazel eyes looked up at him and grinned.

Returning the grin with one of his own, he met her gaze and rose his right foreclaw to point in the direction that the Knight was heading, catching her grateful wave before she reached out to tap her friend on the shoulder, relaying his directions. _This is how it used to be. How it should be. Working together, not trying to kill each other. _He frowned and turned his attention to the horizon, the protective inner lids of his eyes shuttering down to shield his sight from the light and wind as he studied the slowly setting sun.

It had been so _long_ since he had dared to come out into the light, having lived in the darkness and shadows for what seemed like an eternity. It felt so _good _to feel the warmth of the sun, and the wind on his scales again...

"Look out for the tree! Bank left! _Left! _Ack!"

Realizing that he had unconsciously closed his eyes to bask in the long missed sensations of flight, he gasped and automatically obeyed the yell, opening his eyes in time to blink at a rather stunned eagle as he swooped past it's evergreen tree home. _Oh, very good. Now you look like a complete idiot._ He sighed and looked down, searching for the two young riders for a moment before growling in frustration and turning on a wingtip, his gaze darting over the forest floor.

* * *

><p>"Have I mentioned my large dislike of horses lately?" Rachel groaned from where she lay on her back on the ground, her right hand covering the growing bump on her forehead.<p>

"Well, if you'd pay attention to where the horse is going instead of staring up at the dragon like a gaping moron then you'd know when to duck to avoid the low branches," Erica said, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle at the face that Rachel made. "Can you get up?"

"I could, but I'm not gonna."

"Oh, for the love of... Here." Erica reached down and offered her hand, pulling her friend to her feet. "Honestly. You're a magnet for bumps and bruises, aren't you?"

"Not. Helping." Rachel groaned and pushed away from the other teen, stumbling slightly before she managed to regain her balance, allowing her to approach her chestnut mare, who merely stared at her and snorted. "You are an evil, evil, horse."

"Oh, come on! It's not her fault!" Erica laughed.

"Evil!"

"You're just miffed cuz the Knight's gonna laugh."

Rachel grumbled under her breath and reached up to touch the knot on her forehead, wincing as she pulled away and glanced at her fingers. "Well, at least I'm not bleeding."

"There, see? Things aren't that bad."

"You just have to find something good in every situation don't you? That is _really _annoying."

"You'd rather I start inventing rather inappropriate and biologically impractical and impossible things that are accented by a wide range of curses to describe the present situation?" Erica asked, sending a pointed look in her friend's direction.

The teen grumbled. "Just shut up and ride."

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><p>High above the trees, the dragon chuckled to himself and shook his head, inwardly berating himself for laughing at the woman's misfortune, but unable to quell the mirth that still continued to rise within him. The two girls were unlike any humans he had met in a long, long, time and he ached to talk to them. He had so many <em>questions.<em> He wanted to know where they were from, why they were travelling, how they had become such close friends, and especially why the one with the haunted hazel eyes looked at him with such admiration. _Granted with Bowen nearby, the chances of being able to talk to either of them privately is rather slim. Especially considering his current mood._

Noticing that the two were now ahead of him, he shifted the angle of his wings, ended his laborious hover, and began to soar over the forest again, following them to the campsite.

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><p>"That was one experience that I could have gladly skipped," Rachel sighed as she dropped the saddle onto the ground and loosely tethered her horse to a tree, letting the mare graze on fresh grass. It hadn't been hard for them to find the Knight; there wasn't anywhere else he could go. The forest ended in a small clearing at the edge of a thirty foot high cliff. "My head is killing me."<p>

"Not much we can do about it with witnesses nearby," Erica murmured apologetically as Rachel moved to sit next to her with one of her saddlebags, the one containing their food. Hungry, she gently took the bag from the other teen and rifled through it. "Apple?"

"Sure." Rachel accepted the fruit and took a bite out of it, savouring the wonderous taste of it as she chewed. A low grumble made her look over at the Knight as he tried to skewer the skinned body of a rabbit on a make-shift spit, (aka a stick), managing only to break said stick in half. "Men."

"Testosterone poisoning," Erica agreed.

"Yup." The auburn-haired teen took another bite of her apple, turning her attention to the forest to her left when a rumble announced the arrival of the fourth member of their rag-tag group. She swallowed her mouthful of fruit as she watched the dragon emerge from the treeline, moving until he was a only a couple of meters from the still dormant campfire. He settled himself down on his stomach and raised his right claw to prop his head up on it in a very human gesture.

A sudden nudge in her ribs made her look over at Erica, who snickered and pointed to the Knight that was striking a flint against the blade of his sword, trying to get the resulting sparks to light the leaves and twigs he had gathered as tinder.

The dragon obviously thought this sight was rather entertaining, though he took pity on the Knight much faster than Rachel would have.

"I can-" His voice trailed off at the annoyed look Bowen sent him. "I really can!" When the Knight ignored him and doubled his efforts with the flint, he smirked and took in a breath, a single taloned digit pressing his right nostril closed as he exhaled a controlled blast of fire onto the gathered tinder.

He held the flame a little longer than nesscesary, the sight of the ground, the wood, and the man's meal catching fire making him cut off his flame, chuckling as he watched the Knight scurry around in an attempt to isolate the now brightly burning campfire. "Sorry, Bowen. I hope you like it well done."

Erica looked from the scene to Rachel, meeting her friends gaze for a moment before they both broke out into wild laughter. She found the strength to raise a hand to point at the Knight that was glaring at them and wheezed. "You... should've seen... your face! Ha!"

The Knight grumbled out a rather inappropriate suggestion of what he thought they could do, ignoring the warning growl from the dragon as he picked up a stick and poked at his cooking meal.

"Oh, that was rich," Rachel chuckled, wiping tears from her eyes before gently pushing a still giggling Erica off of herself. "Off."

"Sorry, sorry," Erica gasped, moving away from where she had fallen over onto her friend and shifting to lean back against the tree, snickering softly. By the time she had gotten herself under control, both Rachel and the dragon were looking at her in amusement, and she blushed at the attention. "Oh, leave me alone."

The other teen smirked and reached out to grab another apple from the saddlebag, sinking her teeth into it hungrily, then blinking at the dragon's low, questioning, rumble. Curious, she quirked an eyebrow at him, swallowing quickly. "What?"

He opened his mouth, but then shut it again, darting a glance at the Knight. When he saw her gaze darken slightly, he sighed and forgoed his first question, not wanting to provoke another fight between her and the Knight. "You never told us your names," he said instead, contenting himself with simple chat.

"I'm Rachel, and that's Erica," she told him, scowling when Erica stole her apple. "Hey!"

"What? It's the last one."

She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the dragon. "So, gonna return the favour?"

"The Knight is known as Bowen. As for myself," he paused and chuckled. "I'm afraid that you wouldn't be able to pronounce it."

_Wanna bet?_ But, she let it slide, not knowing how Bowen would react if she let her guard down and stopped hiding her 'gifts'. "Fair enough," she murmured, her gaze darting to the fire when Erica tossed the apple core into it.

"Yeah," Erica smiled, sending a teasing look in her friend's direction. "It's probably for the best. Rache speaks only two languages. English and bad English."

"You are so not helping."

"I was supposed to be helping?"

The dragon smiled as he watched them tease each other and shifted his position slightly. He was well aware of how long it had been since he had flown so far in one day's time, the telltale ache in the wing muscles of his back and chest were proof of it. He wanted nothing more than to stretch out and relax, but between the simple lack of room and a rather irritated Bowen sitting in front of him, he had a feeling that relaxation was not going to come to him this night.

A loud belch announced Bowen's completion of his meal, and he grimaced at the sound, glancing towards the two teens as they let out loud disgusted protests and threw a few pebbles at the other human.

"What?" Bowen yelped, ducking the barrage. "What'd I do?"

"Ugh. _Men._" Erica growled, shaking her head in disgust as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself and moved to lie down close to her friend.

Rachel grumbled in agreement, copying Erica's movements as she flicked some twigs aside and stretched out so she was lying on her back, staring up at the night sky for a moment before rolling onto her side. "Anyone who wakes me before sunrise looses a limb. Well, except for the dragon. _I'm_ not stupid enough to pick a fight with him. What about you, 'Rica?"

"Nope! My self-preservation instincts are firmly intact, thank you very much."

"That's what I thought."

Bowen scowled at the barb and seriously debated throwing something at them, like a well aimed arrow, or a lit branch from the fire. But the look the dragon shot him told him that if he did so, their little truce wouldn't end in his favor. Still, the two troublemakers had a good idea. It had been a _long_ day, and his face was sore. A few hours sleep would do him good.

Stifling a yawn, he went to retrieve his bedroll, lying the heavy material down on the ground before setting his shield out of the range of the flames. A low, pained, rumble from behind him made him glance over at the dragon, frowning when he realised that the beasts gaze was fixed on the talons that adorned his shield. One talon for every dragon he had killed.

"You must have hated us very much," the dragon said mournfully, shifting his gaze from the talons to Bowen.

Bowen sighed, glancing over to make sure the two meddling women were asleep before sitting down and pulling his cloak over himself. "I hated one of you," he admitted to the beast. "The rest I killed because I wanted to kill _him_. But, if you're the last, then he must be dead."

"Ah, yes." The dragon ignored the pain those words caused in him, choosing instead to cater to his curiousity as he leaned closer to the Knight. "Tell me. What was he like, this dragon that you hated?"

The Knight lowered his gaze to the campfire as his voice gained a harsh rasp. "He had only half a heart. But, even that was enough to pollute an innocent boy."

_What?_ Anger clouded his mind, words leaving him before he could stop himself. "Einon was no innocent! _He_ polluted the heart!"

Bowen's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. He threw his cloak aside and lunged to his feet, taking an angry step towards the dragon. "How do you know that? How do you know that _dragon?_"

The suspicion in the Knight's tone smothered his temper like water on flame. "Uh..." The dragon scratched at the scales on the back of his neck as his thoughts raced, franticly trying to find a way out of the predicament he had barged into. "...all dragons know _that_ story!" _Not a lie, but not the whole truth either._ "What was to be their hope became their doom! A spoiled, ungrateful, child was given a great gift, and _destroyed it!_"

"No!" Bowen shot back, ignoring the cold knot in the pit of his stomach. "I was his _teacher! _I taught him the ways of _honour!_ Of _right!_"

"The he betrayed _you_," the dragon lowered himself as he spoke, until his gaze was equal with Bowen's, "just as he betrayed the dragon whose heart he broke."

"That's a lie, dragon!"

He snarled, temper snapping once again. "_Stop_ calling me _dragon!_ I have a name!" Oh, this wasn't going at all the way it was supposed to. He wasn't exactly sure _how_ it was supposed to go, but the dragon was certain that this wasn't it.

His outburst seemed to have distracted Bowen from the topic at hand. "Well... what is it?"

The dragon snorted, rolling his eyes as he moved away from him. "You couldn't _possibly_ pronounce it in your tongue."

Bowen smirked. "Try me."

"It's-" Pain. Red hot agony sliced through his left shoulder, as if a blade had been sunk into his flesh. Eyes widening in fear, he rose his right claw, clutching at his glowing scales. A wordless cry escaped him moments later as the pain shifted, weaving it's way from his shoulder straight to his heart, the resulting wave of agony sending him crashing to the ground.

Rachel bolted upright, the ground trembling under her in reaction to the dragon's fall. She had been listening to them talk, and the dragon's sudden cry of agony had made her think that the Knight had attacked him. But as she scrambled to her feet and ran past the stunned man to the groaning dragon, she could see no wound, only a terribly bright patch on his shoulder. She spun to look at Bowen, eyes wide in worry. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know!" Bowen gasped, glancing at the dragon's tormented expression. "I didn't- There's no wound!"

Mind racing, Rachel turned to survey the camp, her gaze darting over the still sleeping Erica before landing on her discarded cloak. _Bingo!_ "Stay with him!"

Bowen watched her dart over to grab her cloak before she bolted into the dark forest, and he had half a mind to follow her, except the dragon's anguished moan kept him rooted to the spot. He could do nothing but watch as the creature rolled from his side onto his stomach, the talons of his hind feet digging into the ground, wings mantling slightly, a mute testament to the pain that was obviously tearing through him.

Rapid footsteps drew him attention back to the girl - Rachel. Her name was Rachel - as she ran back to them, her cloak now completely soaked with cool water. "How did you-? I didn't see a stream nearby."

_That's because there ISN'T a stream nearby. Thank the Gods for magick._ "It's a really small stream," she muttered, gesturing for Bowen to take the other edge of her cloak, the two of them carefully moving to drape the soaked material over the dragon's glowing shoulder. Steam rose like a cloud as the mysterious 'wound' cooled, and she waved her hand in front of her face to try to clear the air before she stumbled over to the dragon's head.

"Oh... thank you," he whispered, the wet cloak helping to leech away some of the terrible heat that accompanied such a wound. Gentle fingers brushed across his forehead, drawing his gaze to the girl who was eyeing him worriedly.

Bowen frowned. "What was it?"

_The price I paid._ "An old complaint that acts up now and again," he lied, rumbling softly when Rachel very lightly rubbed her curled fingers over across his forehead again. The touch was soothing, calming. It had been so, so, long since a anyone had offered him comfort. Even longer since he'd crept out of the shadows to interact with anyone. He risked a glance at her, blinking when all he saw in her eyes was worry, and a protectiveness that plainly startled him.

"Forgive me, if I..." The Knight hesitated, drawing the dragon's attention back to him, the troubled emotions in the creature's tired gaze shaking him a little as he finished his apology. "If I upset you in any way..."

The dragon heaved a world weary sigh. "It wasn't you... Not you." Moving gingerly, he shifted so he was partially on his side, long pratice enabling him to push the true reason for his pain out of his thoughts, leaving only a soul-deep tiredness behind. He paused long enough to give Rachel what he hoped she realised was a grateful look before closing his eyes, feeling the teen's fingers lightly caress his cheek as he let the familiar darkness claim him, letting himself be pulled into a dreamless sleep.

Rachel frowned as she lay a hand on the dragon's left foreleg, very aware of the power beneath the scales she was touching. Whatever had happened, it wasn't anything close to 'an old complaint'. No 'old complaint' left someone so drained that they couldn't stay conscious. _Gods. What was that? He was in agony! _

An annoyed huff left her as she shook her head, irritated that she couldn't put the pieces together. Unable to get any answers, not with the dragon unconscious, Rachel risked a quick look over at Bowen, making sure he wasn't paying attention to her. Satisfied that he wasn't looking, she quickly traced a symbol in the air above the dragon's head, watching as the invisible sygil glowed green before fading once again. The dragon shifted in his sleep, a relieved sigh escaping him as the healing spell she had woven let him enter a more peaceful slumber.

"You should get some sleep," Bowen said into the tense silence when she rose to her feet and brushed dirt off of her pants. "I'll watch over him."

She met his unreadable gaze, holding it for a moment before nodding. _Well, well. Grumbling Wonder isn't so cold hearted after all._ "Thanks," she murmured, casting a final look towards the sleeping dragon before returning to her spot next to a lightly snoring Erica. _Geez. Last night she couldn't fall asleep because of a stupid owl, and now she can sleep through a crisis. 'Rica, thou art bizarre._

Letting another sigh escape her, Rachel lay down on her side, facing the sleeping dragon and the Knight that was now sitting close to him and watching him with surprising concern. She fought to stay awake as long as possible, but, inevitably, the weariness of the day and the drain of weaving the healing spell won out.

tbc...

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><p>Review comments:<p>

keacdragon - Yes, I'm back. Not quite risen from the grave, but close enough. I'm glad you like the story, and my particular brand of snark/humor. *grins*

Ash - Fleshing Erica's character out was a big drive behind my urge to rewrite the fic. After going back an re-reading the original, I found that there was a lot that I wanted to add and change. (over 8 years between fics will do that *smirk*)

SerpentOfMoe - I'm touched and _honored_ that my stories helped you through some difficult times. 'Dragonheart' is a huge part of my life as well - it's still the movie I go to whenever I'm in a particularly low mood (even though the ending almost always makes me get teary). This is the first _real_ fic I've posted since my fight with depression began. I chose it because the 'Dragonheart' storyline is near and dear to my heart, (and I find that it's hard to stay in the slumps when I'm writing about Draco.) This is also a sort of trial-run. If enough people like this fic, then I may start posting other stuff too. (I'm my own worst critic. There are days where I don't like any of my fics.)

As for my stories inspiring you to write your own... wow. Just, wow. I never thought that _I_ would inspire anyone. My writings were an outlet too (they still are). I have dozens that I've never shared with anyone (and most of them will never see the internet), but I've found that sharing them really isn't essential. Writing is an outlet. It's a safe thing, a safe medium that people can use to work through their own demons.

Thank you so, so, much for your lovely review. As I said, I'm deeply honored that this story means so much to you!

Shadowlite 101 - Thank you! I hope you like the new version as much as the old.

Dragons Forever - *smiles* You were one of a few people who kept emailing me throughout the years, asking for updates. I hope it was worth the wait! (FYI - I'll be tweaking the sequel to this one next.)

Syren15 - Glad to be back. Always happy to hear that people like my odd rambling imagination *smile*


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

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><p>A low groan of someone moving despite stiff and tired muscles tugged at the dragon's consciousness, curiousity driving him to crack open his left eye to peer in the direction of the sound. What he spotted surprised him. Bowen was sitting only a few feet away from his left shoulder, huddled in his cloak. The Knight shifted again, stiffling a yawn, and it was then that the dragon realised that the man was watching over him while he slept. Guarding him.<p>

Oddly touched, he turned his head a little to better see the knight, speaking as softly as he could. "Have you been watching over me all night?"

Bowen jumped, turning to look in the direction of the rich voice. He met the dragon's gaze for a moment before shrugging, trying to hide his relief. "I've... been thinking."

"Oh? About what?" The dragon rose his head to stay equal with the man's eye level as Bowen stiffly got to his feet, his gaze briefly darting to the two forms across the fire before resettling onto the knight.

"Many things," Bowen answered, oblivious to the dragon's wandering attention. "Mostly about what to call you. I think I've found you a name."

A low chuckle rolled out of him, amused at the boyish enthusiasm that the knight had tried to hide with those words. "You say that as if you plucked it from the sky."

"I did. Up there." Bowen winced at his stupid answer and quickly turned, raising a hand to point at a specific constellation. "Do you see that group of stars?"

The dragon followed his pointing finger and nodded upon spotting the well known stars. It took more effort than he cared to admit to keep a keen of loss from accomanying his words. "Oh, I know those stars very well."

The knight glanced at him. "We call it 'Draco'," at the dragon's curious look, he explained. "It means 'dragon', in the scholar speech."

"So, instead of calling me 'dragon' in your tongue, you'll call me 'dragon' in some other tongue," the dragon teased, amused.

"...you're right. It's silly."

Almost too late, the dragon realized that his attempt at teasing the knight had been taken the wrong way, and he quickly rose his tail to stop Bowen from walking away. "No! No..." He met Bowen's gaze and smiled, surprsing himself at how genuine that smile felt. "I would be honoured to be named after those stars. I... I truly would. Thank you, Bowen. 'Draco'. He rose his eyes to the stars once again, whispering his new name like a prayer. "Draco..."

* * *

><p>"Wake up. It's time to go."<p>

"Hrmpt... Lemme 'lone! M'sleepin'!" Erica mumbled, swatting at the hand that was insistently shaking her. When it didn't stop, she growled and shoved whoever it was away, rolling over to glare at up at Bowen. "Ugh. _Fine. _I'm up! I'm up! Gods... Bloody sadist."

Yawning, she raked her nails through her hair, plucking twigs and leaves out of the short, tousled locks with a grimace of annoyance before she realised that Bowen was moving to give a sleeping Rachel the same wake-up treatment. "You really don't want to do that."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't react well to being touched while I'm sleepin'," Rachel growled, opening an eye to look up at him through the curtain of her hair. "It's _too early_. Go. Away."

"Fine. Then I guess I'll just leave you here. Doesn't bother me. As long as you two are both far, far away, it's the best deal I'm going to get this decade."

"Oooh, look. He developed a sense of humour overnight!" Erica smirked.

"Yippie. Now leave me 'lone."

"Don't you dare fall back asleep. Rache? Oh, you bitch."

"Problems?"

Erica startled, then turned her head to gape at the dragon that hadn't been next to her a moment before. "Ack! Er... I mean... good morning!"

Draco smiled and carefully stepped past her, lowering his head to exhale warm air into Rachel's hair and chuckling at the sleepy grumble that escaped her. "Rachel. It's time to go."

"Jus five more minutes..."

He looked down at her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

"_What?_"

The dragon turned his head to look at the source of the annoyed yell. "Bowen, why don't you go ahead? It isn't as if the next village is terribly close. It's still over a day's ride away. The three of us will catch up."

"Yes!" Grinning, Erica promptly flopped back down onto the ground, tossing a arm over her eyes. "No putting up with the Grumbling Wonder today!"

"Oh, shut up." Bowen snapped as he pulled himself up onto the saddle, looking over at them, and the smirking dragon, in annoyance. "Damned _brats_."

"Ohhh, snappy comeback," 'Rica drawled without even bothering to look at him. "How long did it take you to think up that one?"

Draco sighed at the venomous glare that Bowen leveled at the teen and moved to stand in front of the two girls, blocking the Knight's view of them. The rather un-subtle move wasn't lost on the man, who turned his glare onto the dragon for a moment before cursing softly and roughly yanking on his horse's reins, urging the animal into a trot.

Rachel cracked an eye open to peer at the dragon, propping herself up onto an elbow when he continued to stare after the retreating Bowen. "Is he gone?"

"Mm-hm." He turned and glanced from one teen to the other before settling himself down. "Why do you provoke him so?"

It was Erica who answered, a wry smirk tugging at her lips as she sat up to meet his gaze. "Besides the fact that he's an arrogant, murdering, ignorant, bastard?"

That wasn't the answer Draco had been expecting. Much less for the teen to phrase it as if it should have been obvious as to why they disliked the Knight. "Bowen... is a victim of misfortune," he murmured, arching a brow ridge when Rachel gave a derisive huff.

"That's not an excuse," she argued, eyes narrowing. "You're only a victim if you choose to be. Life sucks. Yeah, I _get _it. I _know_ it. It doesn't give him the right to go rampaging across the country-side killing whatever creatures his warped little mind finds offensive."

It was hard for Erica to keep from face-palming when the dragon gaped at her friend in shock. "Rache, maybe you should tone the harsh honesty down a bit, okay? He's not used to you like I am."

The other teen paused, then winced, sending a wary glance at the still silent dragon. "Right. Sorry. I'll shut up now." Cursing herself, Rachel got to her feet and brushed dirt and leaves off of her clothes before turning to go check on their horses.

Except a large taloned claw - that looked surprisingly human close-up - reached out to block her path.

"You heard Bowen and I last night." It wasn't a question.

A slight smile tugged at her lips. "Kind of hard not to." Rachel paused, then glanced over at Erica. "Don't know how _you_ managed to sleep through that."

The red head folded her arms across her chest and glared. "I was _tired_. Piss off."

"I love you, too."

Draco snorted. "And the two of you are friends?"

"Going on six years, yup." At his amused look, Rachel shrugged. "We're weird."

"Well, there certainly aren't a lot of people willing to attack a Knight of the Realm in defence of a dragon," he mused, glancing from one teen to the other. "Not only once, but twice at that. What if his hunting of me was valid? I could have been attacking villages. Stealing livestock."

"And then giving the Grumbling Wonder a whole bunch of chances to give up and just leave?" Erica shook her head. "Doesn't fit. If you were what you're describing, you wouldn't have given him all those warnings back at the waterfall. You'd have attacked the moment he was distracted. And that loud Monk was distracting him plenty."

Draco frowned thoughtfully, holding Erica's gaze for a moment before turning to do the same with Rachel. "You're both entirely too young to be so wise."

"We'll take that as a compliment," Rachel quipped with a lopsided smirk, moving away from his still outstretched taloned hand and returning to Erica's side, dropping down to sit next to her. "So, why are we staying behind anyway?"

The sudden change of topic didn't escape him, nor did the hint of unease he sensed from a visibly tense Rachel. Even Erica's demeaner had subtly changed, the red head discreetly placing a hand on her friend's arm in either support or reassurance, he wasn't sure. Realising that he was close to stumbling onto something that both teens wanted to avoid, he shifted his bulk a little, purposefully taking a more relaxed pose in an effort to calm them both.

"In all honesty, I'm curious," he admitted, keeping his tone light as he smiled at them. "The two of you are unlike anyone I've ever met, and I doubted that you'd feel like indulging my curiousity with Bowen nearby."

The teens exchanged glances. "Alright," Erica grinned. "But, it has to be fair. A question for a question."

Draco arched a brow ridge at them, then chuckled and nodded. "Agreed. Who goes first?" When both teens gestured to him, he crossed his forelegs in front of himself. "We'll start with an easy one: where are you from?"

Rachel blinked. "Uhh. That's not so easy. Saying that we're not from around here is something of a _massive _understatement. Things... things are very different where we come from." She glanced at Erica, who gave her a blank look then shrugged. "You'd think we were crazy."

"Try me."

The auburn haired teen stared at him for a moment. A part of her wanted to tell him. But another, the part that had helped her survive her fosters, and the bullies, and life in general, wanted her to shut up before she got herself in trouble. With Erica still _not helping_, Rachel sighed and closed her eyes. "How do people react to magick around here?"

A surprised rumble left him before he could smother it. "I've been rather... distracted these past few years, but unless anything has changed, no one reacts well to it at all. Those who are caught practicing it are... Well, you don't need to know that."

Erica sighed. "They're tortured and burned at the stake, right?" When the dragon nodded solemnly, she winced. "That's what I thought. The reason, Rache, asked is because... Well, it's not a matter of _where_ we're from, but _when_."

"'When'?" he repeated, frowning at her. "What are you saying?"

_Oh, well. We've started this, might as well finish it._ "Erica an I are Wiccans. Witches. Sorceresses. We were going to practice some spells and... we triggered something..." Rachel frowned and stared down at her clenched hands. "The next thing we know, we're in the middle of a grain field being shot at by some psycho farmer. We're from another _time_. Maybe a completely different world, we're not sure."

Draco stared at them for a long moment, struggling to comprehend what they were saying. They _were_ telling the truth, or, at least, what they believed was the truth; he could tell by their expressions, and the subtle changes in their scents. But another _time?_ Another _world?_ Was that even possible? _If there's a Dragon's Heaven, who's to say that there aren't other planes of existence? It would explain why they're so different from the other humans I've met. But, why are they so distressed? Oh. Oh, dear. _"You can't go home, can you?"

A weary sigh left Rachel. "We don't know yet. Hell, we don't even know how or why we're here! We were just talking about-" Realising what she was about to say, shook her head and bit her lip, jaw clenching as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to go check on the horses."

"Oh, dear," Draco murmured, frowning as he followed Rachel with his gaze. "Should I-?"

"Not yet. We've been arguing over this since we got here." Erica sent a worried glance after the other teen, then continued. "Rachel's life back home... it's bad. Her dad abandoned her mom when she was two, then her mother got killed in an accident when she was five. So, she was sent to live with her aunt. Except her aunt spends most of her days drunk off her ass, and whatever money's left over from buying the booze is used up by her aunt's boyfriend, who likes to gamble. And when he has a bad run of luck - which is often - he takes it out on Rachel and her aunt. And that's just her home life. Most of the time, she camps out under a _tarp_ in a nearby forest, because it isn't safe for her to sleep at home. I've tried to get her to stay with me, but my parents don't like her. I'm her only friend. No one else accepts her, and Gods only know why."

A sigh left Erica as she sent the dragon a pained look. "She blames herself for what happened. This all started because she wished her life was different. Better. That she could live somewhere where she wasn't hated and bullied. I agreed with her. Who wouldn't want their best-friend to be safe? And moments later, we were snatched up by a wave of rogue magick and dropped here."

He frowned, mulling over her words for a few minutes before asking a final question. "And her defence of me?"

Erica shrugged, turning to watch Rachel worriedly. "She's been captivated by stories of dragons for as long as I've known her. It's one of the few memories Rache has of her mother - her mom used to tell her stories about the constellation of stars that are shaped like a dragon." She didn't see Draco startle, his tail lashing involuntarily as his eyes widened in shock. "Rache always wished that dragons were real... Where we're from, dragons are creatures of myth and fiction. Um, no offence."

"None taken," Draco murmured distractedly as he rose to his feet and quietly approached the auburn haired teen, who had finished saddling her own horse and had started on Erica's. Despite the tension he could sense from her, she was gentle with the animals, calming them with soothing touches when his approach made them shy away nervously. "Rachel? Are you alright?"

She shrugged, leaning back against Erica's mare as she met his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liar!" Erica yelled.

"Ugh." Rachel face-palmed, trying to smother the urge to walk over and strangle her friend.

The dragon rolled his eyes. "Erica, you're not helping," he scolded gently, ignoring her mischivious grin as he turned his attention back to an embarrassed Rachel. "You asked me my name last night, did you not? It's not my true one, but I'm fond of it just the same. You can call me, Draco."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Like the stars?"

"Exactly!" A wry smile tugged at his lips. "It was Bowen's idea, actually. Odd, that a human would know of those stars."

"Wha-" Something in his voice, the slight quirk of his mouth, and the knowing gleam in his eyes made her clue in to the meaning behind his words, and Rachel felt a blush spread across her face as she moved so she could glare at her friend around Draco's bulk. "Erica! You have a big mouth!"

"And you're as stubborn as a mule and thrice as thick-headed," the other teen retorted calmly. "If you didn't want me to tell him, you should have stuck around instead of leaving me alone with a curious dragon."

When Rachel twitched, fingers spasming as if she wanted to wrap them around Erica's throat, Draco coughed and spread his left wing to block Rachel's view of the other teen, smiling innocently when those angry hazel eyes darted up to meet his gaze.

"I _did _ask," he drawled, letting a bit more of his brogue enter his voice, all the while trying not to let his amusement show when she looked from him, to his still-extended wing, and back, before she huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "You, of all people, my dear, shouldn't be surprised by a dragon's curiousity."

"Or a certain friend's big, fat, mouth, apparantly," Rachel muttered under her breath, sighing when Draco chuckled softly. "Okay. Fine. You can fold your wing. I won't throttle her."

He risked a quick glance back at a smirking Erica before crouching and ducking his head close to Rachel. "May we talk later?" he murmured, smiling when she nodded, her frown morphing into an amused quirk of her lips. Relieved that she was willing to indulge him, Draco tucked his wing back against his side and used his tail to lightly nudge Erica. "Up you get. If we wait any longer, we won't be able to regroup with Bowen before nightfall."

"Gods forbid," Rachel snarked before rechecking the straps anchoring the saddle onto her horse's back, making sure that nothing would rub against, and injure, the mare's flesh. Satisfied, she hauled herself up, groaning as the ache in her lower back and hips protested. "I will _never_ get used to riding horses."

"You're just mad because you rode into that branch yesterday," Erica said conversationally as she gracefully swung herself up onto her own mare, smiling sweetly when Rachel glared at her. "What?"

"I'll get you for that little comment, just you wait."

"I fear you not." Grinning now, Erica turned her attention back to Draco, who was chuckling softly. "So! Question for a question, right?"

An amused rumble left him as he led the way through the forest. "Of course."

Erica exchanged glances with Rachel. "What year is it?"

"Nine-ninety-six, by the Christan calendar. Late-september, I believe." He edged around a tight grouping of trees, then countered. "What year is it where - pardon, _when_, you're from?"

"Two-thousand-nine."

_Over a thousand years._ Draco softened his tone in response to the distress he could scent from Rachel. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said, waving his apology aside. "It's not your fault."

"Our turn," Erica spoke up, intent on not allowing Rachel to dwell on what had brought them there. "What's the story with Bowen? Never figured that a dragon would willingly team up with a dragonslayer."

He shrugged, wings spreading a little at the movement. "It's a way to pass the time, I suppose. Bowen... There is something different about the Knight. He was molded by his past." Again, not the whole truth, but not a lie either. Oh, he was becoming far too good at doing that. "I didn't want to kill him. I could have, easily. Instead, I thought up this little ruse. Bowen gets some gold out of it, and I get to keep my head where it belongs. Rather dull, as ruses go, I know. But's it's better than the alternative, wouldn't you say?"

A smirk tugged at Rachel's lips. "Is that your question?"

Her teasing pulled a laugh from him. "No, and you know it," he chuckled. "Alright then. You mentioned magicks, and you smell of them. Are there others from your home that practice as well?"

"In hiding? Probably." Rachel shrugged at his questioning glance. "The majority of humanity doesn't believe in magicks, so those of us who practice do so in secret. There's no burning of witches at the stake anymore, but being ridiculed for believing in something that's widely thought of as fantasy isn't much better."

"Yeah. I kept things to myself until I found out my Grandmother was a witch," Erica added. "She saved me from some _thing_ that had tried to attack me. After that, things got a lot easier. She helped me understand what was happening, and how to manage it. It wasn't until I met Rachel that I started to really study spellworks. I was lucky. Rache pretty much had to figure everything out on her own."

"Meh. Don't make it sound so dramatic. Trial and error is a messy and painful process."

"Like that six foot deep crater that you made in the middle of the road," Erica grinned, ducking away when the other teen reached out to smack her.

"That only happened once! The damned book didn't even mention that the fireball would explode and decimate whatever it hit on contact." Rachel shook her head, hating the blush she could feel across her face. "...should have had a note in the appendix at least. Something like 'this spell is hazardous to the landscape', or, whatever. And you were no help what so ever; rolling around on the ground and laughing like an idiot."

"You should have seen the look on her face," Erica said to a smiling Draco. "Oh, Gods, it was hilarious."

Rache muttered something uncomplimentary under her breath, and debated ripping a thin branch off a tree to whack Erica with, except the edge of the forest drew her attention. Beyond it lay a vast expanse of fields and meadows for miles and miles around. Rolling hills curved the landscape, small patches of forests dotting the expanses of green and yellow grasses. It was beautiful, and she urged her mare to a stop as she took in their surroundings. "Wow. This is... this is amazing."

Draco tilted his head at the wonder in her voice. "Are things so different in your time?"

"Sort of. Humanity has populated a lot of the world, so there's always a town or a city dotting some portion of the landscape. There are still wild spaces, places that are protected, where it's illegal to build or live there. But as a whole..." Rachel shook her head. "Humanity is an ignorant, arrogant race. We're destroying the world, and there are very few people who realise that. Even less that are in a position of power to do anything about it. This - all of this -" she swept her arm out to encompass everything that lay before them, giving Draco a serious look. "_Treasure _it."

Erica gave the startled dragon an apologetic look as Rachel urged her horse onwards, leaving them behind. "Rache can... Oh, I don't know how to properly explain it. I suppose you can say that she can tap into the energy of the land. Sense things through it," she murmured in explaination. "Back home, there have been times where the pollution of the land has made her physically sick. So, she has to lock that part of herself away in order to function. Coming here is a huge shock to her. It reminds her - hell, it reminds the both of us - exactly how badly humans have polluted the world in our time."

Draco turned his head to stare after the hazel-eyed teen. "And that... ability. It comes naturally to her?"

"Yup." Erica paused, then eyed him curiously. "You know something."

"I'm beginning to suspect something, yes. But, I'm not certain."

She frowned, eyes narrowing. "Don't hurt her, Draco," she warned, ignoring the affronted look he gave her. "She's the only real friend I have. We're practically sisters, and I don't like seeing her hurt, emotionally or physically. I may not be as talented of a witch as Rache is, but I'll protect her. Even from you." Erica softened her tone as she added, "Please don't give me a reason to."

He stared at her, holding her gaze for a long moment. The warning, however nicely worded, was very real; even if the girl looked as if she hated the fact that she had just threatened someone. "I won't," he promised, automatically smiling at the stark relief that brightened her eyes. "You have my word, little sorceress."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>It took them well over two hours to catch up to Bowen. During that time, the trio continued their little 'question for a question' trade. The teens peppered the dragon with questions about their new surroundings, while Draco used the opportunity to learn more about the young women, and the time they were from.<p>

Towers of metal and glass, roads made of smooth stone, huge buildings set aside for teachers to share their knowledge and information to any who sought it, machines that could hold dozens of libraries worth of books, massive repositories of art and history; the notions made the dragon's head spin. How far humans had ventured; soaring so high, yet falling so far, all at once.

Though, Draco mourned for the loss of the Once Ways. Codes of honor, and right, scattered to the four winds, buried under cold ambition and the yearning for power and money. Wars that encompassed the entire _world_, millions dying, ground into the dirt under the boots of tyrants. Poverty so severe that it made the tiny villages under Einon's cold rule seem insignificant in comparison. Extinctions of entire _species_, so many lives lost. Genocides, racism, prejudice - how stupid, to judge or hate someone merely because of the colour of their skin, or what beliefs they held dear!

Oh, certainly, there were signs of hope. People who rose up against tyranny and evil, healers that had obliterated dangerous sicknesses, protectors of nature that cared for and tended to the wilds. Entire communities reaching out to help those in need, even if those people were half a world away. Groups that struggled in the face of adversity to change the ways of humanity, to better them, to lead them away from the dark paths that beckoned with empty promises.

And all without the guidance of dragons. Frightening, yet encouraging, all at once.

So, caught up was he in his thoughts, that it was only when Rachel called out to him that he realised that the two teens had stopped their horses at the top of a hill, and that he had just walked right past them. Judging by their worried looks, he had also missed a fair amount of conversation.

Glad his scales hid his blush, Draco ducked his head a little and favored them with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. I was... distracted. What were you saying?"

"Bowen's that way," Erica repeated, pointing to the right of their position, to where a familiar rider was camped out at the edge of a patch of forest.

He winced._ Oh, yes, very brilliant. To become so lost in your thoughts that you don't even remember which way you're supposed to be going! _"Ah. Of course. Thank you."

While Erica snickered and urged her mare down the hill and towards a waiting Bowen, Rachel hung back and shot Draco a mischievous grin. "So, does this count as later?"

A moment passed before understanding bloomed, and Draco had to fight not to smile. "You mean for us to sneak away."

"Yup."

He sent a glance towards the knight, then let the grin he had been holding back spread across his lips. "Quickly then, before they notice! There is a small grove of trees nearby, we can hide there." Surprised at the playful mood that had overtaken him, Draco quickly snapped his wings open and propelled himself into the air, skimming close to the ground in an effort not to be spotted by either Erica or Bowen. It wasn't as if he didn't know where the knight was heading; they had planned out which village they were going to 'visit' next, right down to where they would camp overnight before heading out the next morning to play their little ruse.

And though he knew that Bowen would probably be cross with him, at the moment, Draco was enjoying himself too much to care.

Chuckling, he glanced back at Rachel as she pushed her chestnut mare into a gallop, judged the distance, then slowed his flight and let her ride past him. Only when she twisted to shoot him a bewildered look did he surge forward again, lightly tapping her on the back with a foretalon before banking away.

Rachel grinned, then crouched low in the saddle and used a little pulse of magick to convey to her horse that she wanted to go faster. Almost immediately, the mare lengthened her strides, hooves digging into the grass covered ground for purchase, muscles bunching and flexing as the horse pushed herself to her limits.

The dragon was still flying ridiculously low to the ground, sending playful little glances back at her from time to time as he wove from side to side in front of her, leading her across the open fields. And just as her mare managed to bring Rachel within arm's reach of him, Draco smirked and swooped away, laughing at her cry of 'not fair!'.

But, a horse was no match for a flying dragon, in speed or endurance, and the mare tired of the harsh pace quickly. Not wanting to stress the animal out, Rachel reined her in and let her relax into an easy walk, rolling her eyes at Draco's disappointed look when he realised that the chase was no longer on.

Mourning the sudden end of a bought of playfulness that he hadn't felt in _years_, he circled back towards her and landed by her side, eyeing her tired mare contemptuously. "Even Bowen's horse could outrun this one."

"Probably," Rachel agreed with an apologetic smile. "But, Erica and I were pretty limited on choice, _and _money. So, we took what we could get."

"I suppose it's better than nothing."

"It beats having a donkey."

He rumbled a laugh. "True enough! Ah, there. See that small gathering of trees? If we situate ourselves on the far side of it, there's little chance of Bowen finding us. Unless Erica is reckless enough to try to find us on her own?"

"No. And she won't risk trying a locator spell with Bowen nearby." A pause. "Hell, I don't even think she has something of mine to tie the spell to, anyway."

Draco tilted his head to look at her. "You don't trust Bowen, do you?"

She rose a shoulder in a shrug. "I have trust issues."

"But not with me." It wasn't a question.

"It's... it's hard to explain. I could say it's some sort of instinct, or intuition, but I'm not sure." Rachel hesitated, biting her lower lip, then sighed, doing a grand job of avoiding his gaze by staring at the back of her horse's head. "I, mean, yeah. I've admired stories of dragons all my life. It's one of the only memories I have of my mother. But it's not like I'd run around trusting every dragon I meet. I'm not _that_ stupid. I just... I get these _feelings_. I can sense things other people don't seem to be aware of. I've been able to for as long as I can remember. And I... I have a good feeling about you. ...I'm not explaining this well at all, am I? Ugh."

A soft croon left him as she dropped her face into her hands. "Hush, now. I understand." Draco waited until she had calmed a bit before continuing. "You know nothing of your abilities?"

"No. I don't remember my father. And my memories of my mother are sparse, at best." Rachel shrugged again, frowning down at the piece of cloth that was wrapped around the knuckles of her right hand. "I just always figured that I was some sort of freak. Made sense, considering the birth defects."

He frowned. "Birth defects?"

A weary sigh left her as she rose her hands into her hair, pulling the auburn tresses aside so he could see her pointed ears. "Doctors wanted to dock them. Surgically remove the tips, so I'd look normal. They said there was something different with my eyes too, something about my vision being sharper, and that my eyes didn't focus normally. But the surgery to fix that could leave me blind, so nothing was done about it."

Unbidden, a low growl left Draco's throat. "'Birth defects', my scaled-" He cut himself off and shook his head, muffling a snarl before he pushed his ire aside and looked at the bewildered teen. "Rachel, my dear, I believe I have some answers for you. Though I'm unsure whether you'll like what you hear, I can assure you, you do not have 'birth defects'. Come and sit with me, and I'll explain."

She stared after him as he walked over to a sparsely shaded patch of grass and lay down, wings half-spreading to catch the breeze as he stretched out a little before turning to look at her. Trying to hide a shiver at his intense gaze, Rachel carefully slid from her mare's back and went to drape the reins over a low hanging branch, making sure to leave enough slack so the horse could graze.

Some bit of her unease must have shown on her face, because Draco let out something very close to a purr, orange-gold eyes watching her worriedly as she went to sit across from him.

"You look as if you expect me to lash out at you," the dragon murmured, surprised at how troubled he felt by that.

The corner of her mouth quirked upwards in a humourless smirk. "The last time someone wanted me to sit down so they could explain something to me, was after my mother died, and some guy was telling me that I was going to live with my aunt," she admitted, keeping her voice carefully neutral. "Bad memories. Not your fault. So, what am I, exactly?"

The guarded tone of her voice didn't escape him, nor did the wary shadows in her eyes. _Stars above, what has happened to her in the past to make her so afraid?_

Draco pushed the thoughts aside, and focused on the task at hand. "What do you remember of your mother?"

"Not much," Rachel replied after a moment, still wary. "I remember her eyes, they were green, like emeralds - I've never seen anyone else with eyes that shade of green. And some snippets of stories, a few melodies she used to hum to me. That's about it. Why?"

"Because, young one, I believe that, while your father may have been human, your mother was one of the Elven folk."

Bitter coldness rose up in her as she shook her head, fighting back tears as she pushed herself to her feet and turned away. "_Riiiight_. An _Elf_. Yeah, real funny, Draco. Nice way to reinforce my automatic distrust of people."

The pain in her voice made him extend his wings in front of him, cupping the great vanes to block her escape. He found himself struggling to hold back a keen when she froze in place and merely stared at the ground, hands clenched into fists at her sides, shoulders trembling as she kept her back to him.

"You've always been able to sense what others cannot see," he said into the tense silence, watching her carefully as he spoke. "Certain animals - wolves, or birds, perhaps - tend to flock to you, and you have an uncanny way with them, as if you can understand them, and they you. Your magicks are strongest when weilding one specific element, either earth, air, fire or water. The land calls to you, be it forest, mountain or meadow, and through it, you can sense your surroundings, sometimes for miles. It also calms you, helps you to centre yourself when things become too overwhelming. Your garden, if you have one, florishes, only needing the most basic of tending. And, whether you're aware of it or not, you probably have some talent in Healing."

Her eyes, when she finally turned to look at him again, were wide with shock and disbelief. "H-How do you know that? Even Erica doesn't-"

"Because you have Elven blood in your veins. Even if your father was human - which I suspect is true - Elven traits are passed on by the _mother_." Draco paused to give her an apologetic look. "I didn't recognise the signs before, and for that I apologise, Rachel. It has been four hundred years since the Elven folk left these lands."

She blinked. "Four hundred... You-?"

A rumble of laughter left him. "Oh, Stars, no! I'm not _that_ old. The knowledge was passed down to me when I was a hatchling."

Rachel stared at him for a moment, then sunk to the ground and put her head in her hands. "This is insane."

Worried, Draco folded his wings, then carefully crawled the dozen feet that seperated them and encouraged the teen to lean against his shoulder, humming a soft dragon-song in an attempt to calm her when she shivered and hugged her knees to her chest, hiding her face against her arms.

It was a long ten minutes before she rose her head, raising a hand to rub at her eyes before glancing at him. "Were dragons and the Elven... friends?" she whispered. "Is that why my mother knew stories about the stars?"

"Many dragons used to be friends and teachers to Elven and human alike," Draco told her. "There would have been some Elven who were close enough friends to a dragon for him to tell them of the Stars. It wouldn't surprise me if the information was passed down, from parent to child and grandchild. Especially if the dragon lived long enough to befriend and guide the new generations." He paused to let her absorb that, then, finally, asked the question he'd been wanting to ask for _hours._ "What did your mother tell you?"

Rachel leaned back against him. "It was a story about a wise dragon that encouraged others of his kind to watch over and guide humanity. When he died, his soul acsended to the stars, and Dragon's Heaven was born. But while the Dragon's Heaven was _visible_ to all, it was only open to those who found a way to _earn_ their place, through sacrifice and hardship. Otherwise, a dragon's soul would disappear, as if they never existed."

When it didn't seem that Draco was going to comment, she continued. "My mother always used to bring me out where we could see the stars when she told me that story. She said that the stars would always make me feel better, that they'd protect me, keep me safe. That no matter how alone I felt, the stars would always be there to comfort and guide me." A soft laugh escaped her. "Used to drive my fosters crazy when I first lived with them. I snuck out of the house every night for two weeks after mom died. The only time I could stop crying was when I was looking up at those stars; somehow, they made me feel warm, loved, protected. After that, whenever things were bad - especially the nights where I wanted to kill myself - I'd find a way to get outside to look at the stars."

It was a long moment before Draco could talk around the lump in his throat. "Your mother must have been an remarkable woman," he said at last, voice thick. The emotions she had described sensing were, to his knowledge, only felt by dragons. Never humans, or Elven. Or so he had thought. _It can't be coincidence. It can't be. For her to find her way here, to me, when things are at their worst._

A soft touch on his left foreclaw drew his attention back to Rachel, who was staring at him in concern. "I said something wrong, didn't I?"

"No. No..." He hesitated a moment before ducking his head and lightly brushing his muzzle across her bare arm, relieved that she didn't recoil in either fear or disgust. "It's just... old ghosts. Old wounds."

"Doesn't make them any less painful."

A sigh left him. "No. It doesn't."

Silence fell over them, the sound of the wind in the trees and the warmth of the sun soothing troubled emotions. Draco carefully shifted, mindful of Rachel's proximity as he sprawled out a little, basking in the sunlight. It had been a long, long time since he'd dared to venture out to soak up the sun's warmth without camouflaging himself. To be able to do so now, with someone he was beginning to think of as a friend by his side, was a balm to his soul.

He turned his head to look at the half-Elven teen, smiling a little when he saw that she was laying on her back with her eyes closed, her left hand tucked behind her head while her bandaged right hand rested on her stomach. Long practice let him sense as she tapped into the energies around them, 'listening' as she reached out to carefully take in everything around them. The sound of a nearby stream, the scent of the earth, the feeling of the wind playing with long grasses and leaves, even the diverse melodies of various songbirds that called the little grove of trees home.

For one brief moment, she let herself become one with everything around them, and he found himself smiling as he 'felt' her sink into the natural energies as if they were a warm bath before retreating and locking her mental shields back into place.

"Feel better?" Draco asked once he was sure he wouldn't startle her.

She opened her eyes to peer up at him curiously. "How'd you know what I was doing?"

"Ah. Dragons can connect with the land as well, though not as deeply as you just did."

"Oh. Sorry."

A chuckle rumbled out of him. "Whatever for? I'm not offended. You needed to centre and ground yourself. There's no shame in that, my dear."

"Okay. Fine." Rachel let a heartbeat of silence go by before continuing. "But, I do owe you an apology."

Curious, Draco tilted his head to the side. "About what?"

It was very hard not to fidgit under that intense gaze. "Last night, I wove a Healing spell on you without asking permission first." When he gave her a baffled look, she bit her lip. "Erica's grandmother told her that a witch should never use magick on someone without their express permission. That it violates that person's right to choose whether or not they want to have magick used on them."

"Really?" At her nod, he snorted and grumbled under his breath.

"Don't forget, I'm from a time where magick is supposed to be a work of fiction," Rachel reminded him gently. "There are several major religions that blatantly categorize magick and it's practitioners as evil. Hell, some of those 'devout' followers have even managed to get books of fiction and fantasy banned from libraries and schools, because of the _mention_ of magick. They're afraid of their children being lured into satanism or some stupid thing like that. It's a giant mess fueled by idiots, fear, a lack of understanding, and the strict - and at the same time outdated and missunderstood - rules of various religions."

"Humanity," he rumbled with a shake of his head. "Always making things more complicated than they need to be."

"Yup. Brilliant, yet massively stupid, all at the same time."

"Well, healing someone in pain is never the wrong thing to do, not in my opinion, anyway." He looked down at her where she was still sprawled on her back next to him and smiled. "Honestly, if I had minded, I would have told you last night. I was still aware enough to sense your spell when you wove it."

She gaped at him, then growled and threw a handful of grass at him. "You mean I've been freaking out over this all damn day for nothing?"

Laughing, Draco pretended to shy away from her assault, then flicked bits of grass back at her. "If I had known you were so worried, I would have told you," he chuckled, trying, and failing, to smother his mirth when she glared at him. "I'm truly sorry."

"Might believe you a bit more if you weren't still _laughing_," she muttered, though there was no real anger in her voice.

He accepted her teasing for what it was and grinned as he lightly nudged her with his tail. "Hm. However shall I make this up to you?" He made a show of pretending to think about it for a moment, then glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before starting to sing.

Rachel's eyes widened at the rich notes that Draco began to hum, blinking as she looked up at him. He didn't return her gaze, merely kept staring up at the sun. Though the slight upturn of his lips let her know that he knew she was blatantly staring.

The resonating tones left him in almost palpable thrums of sound, and she couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes again and simply listened. There were times when his voice would rise as high as a tenor's, and others, when it would deepen into a baritone rumble that made the ground vibrate. Sometime in the middle of a stanza, he added vocals, and while she didn't understand the language - a mix of growls, rumbles, trills and croons - the emotions within were more than adequate. How he managed to make those sounds while still humming in undertone, she had no idea; but the effect was spectacular.

She liked to think that he was singing about flying - because she could put no other image into her mind to go along with the melody.

As the last note left him, Draco turned and looked down at a quiet Rachel, his voice a mere whisper. "Did you fall asleep?"

Those hazel eyes opened to gaze up at him in wonder and amazement. "Gods, no. I wouldn't have missed that for the world. That was _beautiful_, Draco."

He smiled at the praise, a little thrill of pleasure making his wings shiver. "Thank you! Would... would you like to hear another?"

She grinned.

tbc...

A/N Review comments

Shadowlite101 - I'm glad you like the fic! :)

BigBlurryThing - I'm... a little speechless. I honestly didn't realise how much this fic touched people. Truthfully, I didn't think anyone felt the same about Draco as I do. It's both a relief and a great joy to find out that I'm not alone. (I had a long paragraph in reply, but FFnet ate it and it's 4 in the morning... Sorry.)

keacdragon - *grins* Yeah. I always like my female characters to not only be believable, but to have some attitude.


	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

* * *

><p>"I can't believe they ditched me with <em>you.<em>"

"Repeat yourself a few more times, why not?" Bowen grumbled as he struck the flint stone against his sword again, frown vanishing when the sparks managed to light the dried grass he had found. _Well, at least Draco will be able to see this from the air... if that vain creature ever gets back._

Shaking his head in exasperation at the dragon's odd interest in Rachel, he threw a few twigs onto the budding fire, being careful not to smother it. Draco and the auburn-haired teen had vanished only moments after Erica had reached him, and since then, Erica had been slowly driving him insane with her sour mood. After five hours of it, he was just about ready to snap. "Will you stop pacing?"

"No! I'm worried!"

"So am I! I'm worried about what your friend has done to, Draco. It's like she's bewitched him!"

"First off, she wouldn't abuse her powers like that. Second, shut up."

He whipped his head in her direction. "Her _powers?_"

Erica blinked, then realised what she had let slip. "Um..."

Bowen, meanwhile, was eyeing her warily, sword partially raised in a defensive position. "That brat is a witch, and you _travel_ with her? Are you insane, girl? You'll suffer the same fate as her! Either the noose or the stake!"

Blue eyes narrowed. "First off, Rachel is my best-friend! She and I are practically sisters!" Angry, she stalked up to him, batted his sword aside, and jabbed him in the chest with her right index finger. "Second, you're a _barbarian!_ Automatically thinking that anyone who practices magick is evil! For your information, Rachel and I only practice _white_ magicks! Oh, _yes_, you stupid, _stupid_, little, man! _I'm_ a sorceress, too! Rachel taught me everything I know! And neither of us has ever, _ever_, used our powers for anything but _good!_"

Her breath hissed between her teeth as she glared at him, a tiny part of her liking the fear and uncertainly in his eyes. "You know _nothing_ about us! And certainly _nothing_ about, Rachel! Even when her Aunt's boyfriend_ beat her within an inch of her life_, she didn't use magick against him! Or when a group of kids at her place of teaching ganged up on her. She has the power to blast them _all_, and she _didn't_. She certainly has more integrity and restraint than _you_, _dragonslayer. _So you can take your close-minded opinions, and shove them right up your _ass!_"

The last was punctuated with a knee to Bowen's crotch and an infuritated punch to his face. It wasn't until _after_ she had finished yelping at the pain in her hand that she saw that the Knight was out cold on the ground.

"Crap."

* * *

><p>"Well, at least I know that Elves can't see squat in the dark," Rachel groused as she headed deeper into the forest, carefully leading her horse between the trees. The only light that allowed her to have the barest idea of where she was stepping came from the moon, and she thanked any Gods that could be listening that it wasn't a cloudy night.<p>

Draco chuckled at her annoyed remark and glanced back at her from where he was leading the way. "We're almost there. It's just a little farther."

"Famous last words."

He grinned and resumed walking, taking care not to lash his tail in case he knocked her over. They had made good time, considering that they had spent nearly all afternoon simply lounging in the sun and enjoying each others company. It was only when he had seen the sun nearing the horizon that he had realized exactly how much time had passed and how far behind they now were. That had been two hours ago. "Rachel?"

"Yea?"

Another chuckle left him. "Thank you. For today. It's been a very long time since I've had the chance to truly relax and talk to someone who isn't out to kill me."

"Anytime," she smiled, ducking under a low branch and turning to hold said branch out of the way of her mare. A soft, pleased, hum made her return her gaze to Draco, and she let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the flickering light from a campfire further ahead. "I'd cheer, but right now I just want to curl up and sleep for a good twelve hours."

"Come on then," Draco smiled, lightly nudging her with his tail. "It's strangely quiet. Maybe they've already turned in for the night."

Rachel followed him into camp, and blinked at the sight that presented itself to them. "Or maybe one of them is unconscious."

"Rache!"

"Ack!" It took more effort than she cared to admit not to lash out as her friend leapt at her and threw her arms around her. "'Rica... can't... breathe!"

Erica released the other teen, then narrowed her eyes and smacked Rachel upside the head. "Where the hell have you _been?_"

"Ow!" Rachel ducked another smack and strategicly moved so her horse was between her and 'Rica. "Dammit, calm down! And what happened to Bowen?"

Anger gave way to embarrassment, and Erica dropped her gaze to the ground, nervously picking at her nails. "I... might have hit him."

"_Might_ have?" Rachel repeated. "What, you develop selective amnesia while I was away?"

"It wasn't my fault! He started in about how curious Draco was about us - well _you_ - and he insinuated that he thought you had bewitched Draco, and I _maybe_ let it slip that you can do magick, and he started saying how I'd be joining you in being strung up by a noose or burned at the stake just for travelling with you, and I started yelling at him, and trying to explain how neither you or I have ever abused our powers, and then..." Erica gasped for breath and flapped her hand in the direction of the unconscious Knight, unable to finish her rambling explaination.

"Oh, Bowen," Draco sighed, disappointed by the Knight's attitude. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to Erica, who looked to be near tears. "Easy now, my dear. It's alright. There's no real harm done."

She gave a semi-hysterical hiccup. "I think I broke his nose."

Rachel frowned and left her horse to go look at Erica's bruised hand. "I did that yesterday."

"I think I broke it again."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She took a few deep breaths, struggling for that little bit of calm that would let her regain what little composure she had left. Still emotionally worn out, she couldn't muster up enough energy to argue as Rachel steered her to the opposite side of the fire and gently forced her to sit down. Wiping at her eyes, Erica blinked past wet lashes and watched as the other teen went about securing her mare and removing the saddle, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Draco moved to settle himself to the left of her.

When she saw him frown at her reaction, she hurried to apologise. "Sorry. I'm just... frazzled," Erica told him, raising her left hand to show him how much she was shaking. "I don't lose my temper often, but Bowen just said the wrong things at the wrong time, and I... I freaked out a little. I really didn't mean to hit him."

"Pfft. Idiot deserved it," Rachel growled as she walked over and knelt in front of Erica, taking her friends hands into her own. "Gods, you're freezing! _Don't move_, I'll be right back. Draco, could you make sure she stays put?"

The dragon nodded, then, as Rachel darted back to rummage through her saddlebags, he turned his attention to Erica. "Here," Draco murmured, shifting a little and gently nudging her with his tail until she leaned against his shoulder, this right wing extended to protect her back from the slight breeze. "Lean back a little more, you won't harm me. There we go. I'm sorry, Erica. We shouldn't have left you like that."

"No, it's alright. Whatever you two talked about..." Erica glanced at Rachel and smiled weakly. "Her energy's different. Calmer."

He loosed a soft rumble. "Still, we should have warned you, at least. I was selfish, and-"

"-and I doubt it's something you do often, so let it be, Draco. It's okay. Really. Besides," she added as Rachel rejoined them, the auburn-haired teen carrying her cloak and a rolled up blanket. "Rache is really good with Healing spells."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Rache retorted, carefully stepping over Draco's tail and wrapping Erica up in the cloak, before tucking the blanket around the red-head's legs. "There. Now, hand, please."

Curious, Draco watched as Erica held her bruised hand out to the other teen, his keen gaze darting from Rachel's expression of concentration to her friend's hand that she was cradling in hers. She spoke no words, merely clasped Erica's hand between both of hers. There was a slight shimmer of air, a few flecks of green appearing in her hazel eyes, and when she released the red-haired teen's hand, there was no trace of the bruised and swollen marks that marred Erica's knuckles.

Unbidden, a soft hum of approval and interest left him, the sound drawing Rachel's gaze. "That was different from last night."

"Different wound, different spell," Rachel shrugged. "Didn't know what was wrong with you, so I used the strongest Healing I knew of, just in case."

Erica, meanwhile, flexed her fingers, then gave her friend a tired smile. "Thanks. Though I was insinuating that you should Heal, Bowen."

Rachel let out a rather unlady-like snort as she rose again and went to Erica's saddlebags, where their food was kept. "No freakin' way."

"Rachel."

She turned at Draco's disapproving tone. "Don't you start! I'm already half-asleep on my feet, I'm _not_ wasting what little energy I have left on that brainless, gutless, close-minded, _idiot_."

"Well, if you won't, then I will," Erica frowned, starting to get to her feet only to have Rachel stomp over and shove her back down. "Hey!"

"'Hey' yourself. You and I both know that you can't Heal anything bigger than a _bird_. You try it on him, and you're liable to either have it backlash on you, or completely drain you. At which point, you'll be unconscious for two days and wishing you were still unconscious for another four."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Either _you_ Heal him, or _I_ will."

"Like _hell_."

Draco looked from teen to teen, watching the silent battle of wills. Whatever non-verbal conversation was passing between them, he had a feeling he should be grateful that he wasn't privy to it.

And then Erica did something odd.

The glare vanished from her gaze as she sniffled and widened her eyes, tears gathering in the corners as her lower lip began trembling slightly. She looked so comicly forlorn, so pleading and despondant, that Draco had to slap a claw over his mouth to hold back a guffaw.

After almost a full minute, Rachel twitched, let out a disgusted sound, and threw her hands up into the air.

"_Fine!_" she snapped, spinning away from Erica. "I'll Heal the goddamned Grumbling Wonder! Bloody hell, I _hate it_ when you do that!"

Erica smirked and glanced at a snickering Draco. "The 'puppy-eyes' expression. Never fails."

"I'll have to remember that," he chuckled, following Rachel with his gaze as she went to kneel by Bowen's side. The hazel-eyed teen glared down at the Knight for a moment, then traced a symbol in the air above Bowen's head. Only when the sygil glowed a soft blue did Rachel - with more force than the dragon thought nesscessary - _slap _her hand down onto the man's face.

The period of concentration lasted longer this time, her brow furrowing, as if she was encountering resistance. But when she pulled away a heartbeat later, Draco was pleased to see that the obviously painful break had faded from Bowen's face. Gone was the swelling and bruising, the slight misalignment of Bowen's nose no longer present. Even the 'black eye' that had accompanied the wound had vanished, leaving unblemished flesh and skin behind.

Knowing that Rachel was still annoyed at her friend, Draco loosed a thankful growl and calmly met the irritated glare she sent his way. "Fetch your supper and come sit by me. You'll catch cold without a cloak to keep you warm."

She glared at him a moment longer, then sighed and nodded, pushing herself to her feet. She dropped back to her knees a second later, grimacing at the dizziness that made her vision waver. Ignoring Draco's worried call, Rachel grit her teeth, braced herself, and forced herself up, nearly faceplanting herself into the ground when the world spun around her.

"Oh, shit." Tossing the blanket aside, Erica lunged to her feet and barely made it to her friend's side in time to keep Rachel from falling over. "You didn't tell me you were _this_ low on energy!"

The look Rachel gave her could have melted glass.

"Bring her here." Draco moved his tail out of the way as Erica guided an unsteady Rachel over to him, a worried croon leaving him as the hazel-eyed teen collapsed next to him. "Rachel, my dear, are you alright?"

A tired sigh left her. "Not really, no."

"She uses her own energy to heal," Erica explained as she went to retrieve the blanket she had tossed aside. "Something about not wanting to drain the energies of nature. I dunno, she never really explained it to me."

"I am still awake, you realise. It's annoying when you talk as if I'm not here."

"Trust me, it's impossible to ignore you," Erica smirked, tossing the blanket over Rachel's head and grinning when the other teen yanked the material off to glare at her.

Draco turned his head to lightly nuzzle the hazel-eyes teen's arm, smiling warmly. "You should sleep. Bowen will likely be up with the sun."

"That's because he's a damned sadist," Rachel muttered as she wrapped the blanket around herself and tiredly leaned back against Draco's shoulder. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all," he murmured, curving his tail around to his left side so the spade tip rested against her legs. "Go to sleep, my dear. Recover your strength."

"She's more stubborn than a mule," Erica commented once she was sure Rachel was asleep. "I swear, she'd walk around with a broken leg just to keep people from worrying about her."

"It's an admirable trait, in a way."

"Not to the extreme she takes it."

"Hm."

Erica sighed and went to reclaim her previous spot, blinking when Draco encouraged her to lean against him like Rachel was.

"As long as you don't kick me in your sleep, I don't mind your presence in the least," he said by way of explaination, smiling when she laughed and moved to lay against his opposite shoulder. With the two teens snuggled close, taking advantage of his higher body temperature, Draco paused long enough to half-spread his wings in order to shelter them from the wind, then lowered his head to rest his chin on his foreclaws.

He was asleep in moments, completely missing the slight flare of light from the constellation of his namesake.

* * *

><p>Bowen groaned as bright sunlight assaulted him and rose a hand to shield his eyes as he slowly woke up. The memory of the previous night accompanied him the rest of the way into coherancy, and he grimaced in preparation of pain as he rose a hand to his nose. To his shock, there was no pain, no swelling, no tenderness or throbbing headache. He could breathe clearly, and there was no taste of blood in the back of his throat, not even when he dared to pinch the bridge of his nose, where the break had been tormenting him for days.<p>

Baffled, he rolled onto his stomach and scrambled for his sword, pulling the blade half out of it's scabbard and peering at his reflection. No swelling, no bruising. Nothing.

Frowning, he flopped back onto his side and peered across the dead campfire, blinking at the sight of Draco before sighing in relief, glad that the dragon had found him. That relief turned to surprise when he spotted Erica snuggled up against his odd companions right shoulder, his shock doubling when he sat up and saw a familiar auburn-haired form curled up between the dragon's left foreleg and his chest.

_Good Lord! Maybe he really has been bewtiched! _"Draco!"

The dragon stirred slightly, then cracked an eye open to look at the sputtering Knight. "Hmm?" _Is it morning already? Why does he look so flustered? Better yet, why is he looking at me like that?_

Draco's nonchalant attitude wasn't helping Bowen's state of mind. "What...When did-? How?"

"Bowen, you're not finishing your sentences."

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I _was_ trying to sleep," Draco grumbled as he rose his head and yawned, purposefully exposing all his fangs. "Now, calm down and try that again."

"Them!" Bowen stabbed a finger towards the still sleeping teens. "What are you doing with them?"

Draco glanced at Erica, who was starting to wake, then at Rachel, who groaned, rolled over and hid her face against his chest scales, before he returned his gaze to the Knight. "Bowen, you have a filthy mind."

"_Me?_"

"Oh, Gods... Is it morning already?" Erica grumbled, raising a hand to rub at her eyes before peering over at Bowen, who looked like he was on the verge of an anerysm. "What crawled up your shorts and multiplied?" When the man coloured and gestured to Draco, she sat up, met the dragon's annoyed gaze, glanced at a still sleeping Rachel, then back to Bowen. "So?"

"'So'? That's it?"

"Get yer mind out of the gutter you pervert," she snapped, using a fingernail to pry a small stone out of the ground and throwing it at him. "Rache damn near drained herself Healing you last night. The least you could do is not act like an ungrateful bastard!"

While Bowen and Erica glared at each other, Draco covered Rachel with his right claw and lowered his head to lightly nudge her shoulder, whispering softly so as not to startle her. "Rachel? It's morning."

A tired groan left her as she rose her head to blink up at him dazedly. "Wha?"

"Good morning," he chuckled, meeting her sleepy hazel gaze. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." She ran her good hand through her hair and sat up, blushing crimson when she saw where she was. "How-?"

"You were shivering in your sleep. I thought you'd be warmer and more comfortable here. Bowen, on the other hand..." Draco trailed off and looked over at the Knight. "Is being- What did you call it, Erica?"

"Perverted."

"He's being...? Oh good Lords." Rachel dropped her face into her hands. "It's too early for this."

"Strange how you keep saying that every morning."

"That's because you people are expecting me to be sociable at ungodly hours of the morning," she retorted, mock-glaring at Erica as she raked her nails through her hair. The utter lack of sound from Bowen made her glance over at him curiously, and she blinked slowly when she saw how he was staring at her. "What? Actually, no. Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Erica snickered softly as she watched Rachel slowly get to her feet and stretch, then threw another small rock at her. "How are you feeling?"

The auburn haired teen shrugged, feeling Draco's warm breath wash over her back. "Tired. Some ghost-pain, but that'll pass."

Even though he already knew the answer, Draco felt that Bowen needed to know. "Ghost-pain?"

"It's a side-effect of Healing people when I'm tired. Think of it like as an echo of the wounds I Healed," Rachel shrugged again, and went to help Erica to her feet. "It's happened before. And I'm used to pain, so don't worry. "

Bowen balked a little at the pointed look the dragon sent him, then grit his teeth before clearing his throat to gain the two women's attentions. "Thank you, Rachel," he grated out, struggling to soften his tone when Draco growled at him. "And, I'm sorry, Erica, for last night."

The two teens exchanged shocked glances, before looking over at Draco, who broke away from glaring at the Knight and offered them a smile.

"Uh, you're welcome," Rachel said, blinking at Bowen.

"I'll think about it," was Erica's response, the redhead folding her arms across her chest when both Rachel and Draco frowned at her. "I don't like being threatened. Especially when someone tells me that I'll be joining my best friend in either being hung from a noose until death, or being burned alive. I'm still pissed."

Rachel quirked a brow at her, then grinned. Erica might not look like it, but she had quite a temper. And when someone managed to anger her to such a point that she was holding a grudge, however small, it was best to just get out of the way and watch from the sidelines. _Oh, this is going to be fun!_

The dragon glanced from a gleeful Rachel to a still glaring Erica, and decided that it was best if he didn't involve himself in whatever the teens were planning. Shaking his head, Draco slowly got to his feet and spread his wings as wide as he could in the confines of the campsite, groaning softly as he stretched and limbered himself up for the day ahead.

Sending another glare in Bowen's direction, Erica followed Rachel over to their horses and went about saddling her mare, murmuring softly to calm the horse when it shied a little. The chestnut mare quieted, ears flicking forward to listen to her voice as she spoke to it, brushing her hands along the animal's shoulders in calming strokes.

Practice had her checking the horse's skin for any rub marks from the saddle and it's straps, smiling happily when she didn't find as much as a hair out of place. Humming, Erica finished saddling the mare, then gave the horse a piece of apple for it's patience before securing the two saddlebags to the horse's back. Finished, she swung herself up onto it's back, leaning forward to pat the mares neck affectionately.

A glance over at Rachel had her smothering a laugh as she watched her friend stiffly settled herself atop her own horse, shrugging and smiling when the other teen sent a warning glare her way. "Sorry."

"I don't believe you," Rache muttered, wincing as she shifted a bit and placed both hands against the small of her back. "Ohhh, I feel old."

Erica smiled. "I _did_ offer to teach you how to ride a few years ago, remember? Maybe if you'd taken me up on that offer, you wouldn't be in so much pain now."

"Oh, shut up about those damned lessons already. Nag."

"Bitch."

There was a grunt from Bowen. "Can we forgo the complaining and ride for the next village now? Or are we just going to stay here all day trading witty comments?"

While Draco sent a long-suffering look in the Knight's direction, the two teens closed ranks and retaliated.

"Holy, shit," Rachel said. "I think he just tried to be snarky."

"He needs lessons."

"Badly."

"But then again, we haven't known him all that long-"

"Thank the Gods."

"-and for all we know, that could be the best he's got."

"How utterly depressing."

Bowen ground his teeth, then sent a frustrated look in an amused Draco's direction. "Take my advice, don't ask the women questions. It just gives them more opportunities to make fun of you."

Erica loosed a theatrical gasp and rose a hand to clutch at her chest dramatically. "A man with some sense! Gods Above, it's a singular miracle!"

"I knew this day would come," Rachel deadpanned. "And it's just as underwhelming as I thought it would be."

Draco barely managed to muffle a bark of laughter. It was a good thing that looks _couldn't_ kill, else the glare that Bowen sent his way would have killed him five times over before his carcass hit the ground.

* * *

><p>The journey to the next village only took a couple of hours, and by the time the sun was nearing it's highest point, Bowen was standing on the crest of a hill that overlooked the small valley the village was situated in. Draco was crouched low next to him, the dragon trying to keep from being spotted from afar. The two girls had just finished climbing the hill when he rose a hand and pointed at their next target.<p>

"There it is."

"That little thing?" Erica used her hand to sheild her eyes from the sun's glare. "Geez, what are you going to demand as payment, two sheep and a chicken?"

"More like three chickens and a cabbage," Rachel muttered, casually leaning against Draco's shoulder while she picked at the cloth that was still wrapped around her knuckles.

The movement didn't escape the dragon. "That wound will become infected if you don't treat it properly," he murmured softly.

"It's not so much a wound as a bruise," she countered, flexing her hand and trying not to wince at the stiffness. Memories of worse injuries from fights with bullies distracted her for a moment before she shook her head and stubbornly shoved those thoughts aside. "It'll heal."

"Mmhm. Like last time?"

"Last time?"

"Your arm." He watched her cover the dark bruise on her left arm with her hand before she frowned and looked away, focusing on the village. _Seems I hit another sore spot. How badly has she been treated that she feels that she has to always be on the defensive?_ "Why don't you Heal yourself?"

Her right shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. "Don't want to waste the energy."

Erica, who had been confering with Bowen about the best way to approach the village, frowned. "S'cuse me Bowen," she said before walking over to smack Rachel upside the head.

"Ow! What the he-!" Rachel's protest died beneath the weight of the furious glare her friend was giving her.

"Heal. Yourself." The redhead growled, eyes narrowed. "Now!"

Self-preservation dictated only one answer. "...okay."

Erica glanced at Draco, who quirked a brow ridge at her and seemed to be amused at the whole situation. "Make sure she actually does it! Stupid, _stubborn_, moronic..." Grumbling under her breath, Erica turned and went to rejoin Bowen, who took one look at the expression on her face and visibly winced.

"Goddamn, she can be scary as hell when she wants to be," Rachel muttered under her breath as she dutifully went about Healing her bruised knuckles and banged-up arm, very aware that Draco was watching her closely.

"She worries because she watches you take care of everyone else except yourself," the dragon told her, sighing when Rachel made a derisive grunt and yanked the bloodied cloth off of her right hand.

"I've survived this long. I think I can manage for a while longer."

Draco frowned, horned head turning to stare at her worriedly. "And is that all there is for you?" he asked softly, almost as if he was afraid of the answer. "Survivial?"

Shadowed hazel eyes rose to meet his gaze. "I don't remember a time where it was any different," she admitted, letting him glimpse the shattered holes in her soul before she locked everything up again and went to join Erica and Bowen.

The dragon followed her with his gaze, disturbed by what she had let him see. _Oh, dear. She's broken inside. Eaten up with lonliness and pain and regrets. Stars, she thinks she deserves the pain!_ His jaw clenched, fighting the urge to touch the scales on his chest. _And doesn't that sound frighteningly familiar? I wish I could see the stars. I need their guidance, now, more than ever!_

Erica's startled voice cut through Draco's musings. "You want me to _what?_"

"She is _not_ going to play 'delicate waif' just so she can be kidnapped by, Draco!" Rachel argued, hands on her hips, all signs of her previous emotional slip buried again. "She's afraid of heights, Bowen! Anything more than ten feet off the ground, and 'Rica freaks out."

"Why can't you and Draco just go and wage pretend war like last time?" Erica asked curiously. "It _worked_ then, why change the script now?"

The Knight shook his head. "The basics are still the same, the only difference is that this time, Draco will have to pretend to take a spear to the chest, and fly off to 'die' on the other side of that mountain. But since the two of you are here, we might as well use you. Personally, I think the whole thing will be more believeable if the villagers think he's killed one of you."

"Okay. But, if he's just had one of us for lunch, why the hell would he come back?" Erica countered.

"And, why the hell would they care about us? They've never seen us before," added Rache, who was eyeing the village critically. "Why would they give a damn whether we get killed or not?"

"They both have valid points Bowen," Draco spoke up. "And in these times, the villagers certainly wouldn't fret over a stranger's wellbeing."

Bowen mulled that over for a moment, then sighed. "Alright. Fine." He turned his attention away from the two teenagers and looked at the dragon. "But, we can't just let them wander around. They might get in the way."

Erica grumbled and folded her arms over her chest, leaning closer to Rachel. "You're right. It _is_ annoying when people talk about you as if you're not there."

"Told ya."

"Bowen, look there. There's a patch of forest directly under that cliff you want me to perch on." A foretalon pointed to the thick spot of woods in question before Draco returned his attention to his companions. "It would be simple for them to ride ahead and hide there while you and I do the routine. It's far enough from the village that no one would be able to see them. And no one would ever think that two maidens would ever come near a dragon."

Rachel quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Erica. "We've been upgraded to 'maidens' now."

"I noticed. I'd prefer 'Your Majesty' but that'll have to do," her friend grinned before turning back to Bowen. "I'm for Draco's idea."

"Then go, but try to stay out of sight," Bowen agreed reluctantly, looking from them to the dragon. "When everything's over, we'll regroup at the waterfall. Draco? You know the drill."

"Yes, yes." Draco nodded, making a 'shoo-ing' motion at the Knight. "Go on, Bowen, I won't miss my cue."

"We'll see you at the cliffs, Draco," Erica grinned as she followed Rachel down the hill and over to their waiting horses. At least it seemed that the other teen was getting the hang of pulling herself up into the saddle; she hadn't tripped and fallen since the first day they had arrived. Glad that one thing seemed to be getting better, Rica gently tugged on her mare's reins, guiding her around the hill so as to stay invisible to the nearby village. She and Rachel would take a roundabout way to the forest that dotted the mountain's face, the trees situated below the rocky cliff that Draco was to perch on. Bowen, meanwhile, would head right across the open plain, hopefully drawing every villager's attention as he did so.

Though Rachel didn't seem to appreciate the caution, hence the fact that the teen had just urged her horse into a gallop and had bolted past Erica. "Hey! Wait up!"

Draco sighed as he watched the three riders head for the village, his keen eyesight and higher vantage point enabling him to keep track of them. Like he had done before, the dragon waited until he was certain that he had given Bowen enough time for the Knight to make his presence known, then rose to his feet and spread his wings, glad for the opportunity to launch himself into the winds again.

He circled the village once from far above the clouds, peering through the white mists to make sure that everyone was in place. Only when he was certain that he wouldn't be too early did he bank left and dive down to a more normal altitude. Experience let him use the hills and trees as cover, skimming the crest of a hill before he took aim and started his 'attack'.

It really didn't take much to frighten them. A roar, a close flyby and a flick of his tail that left a hole the size of his tail spade in a roof. That little show sent people running for shelter, their screams and cries of fright turning his amusement into something more solemn. _They have no idea that a dragon would never think of harming them. Not unless severely provoked. How far Man and Dragon have drifted from one another._ Flaring his wings, Draco twisted in midair and landed heavily on the cliff, adding an extra touch to the facade by licking his lips hungrily as he gazed down at the people below.

Keeping close attention on what Bowen was doing so he wouldn't miss his cue, he shifted his stance a little, talons scraping against the stone and sending showers of dirt and pebbles cascading down to the ground below. Draco had been certain that he had delayed his 'attack' long enough to ensure that Rachel and Erica would have had plenty of time to reach the forest that lay below him. _Where are they? Were they spotted?_

The sound of clapping yanked him from his worries, and Draco darted his gaze down to stare at the two riders that emerged from the woods. "Ah. There you are! Enjoying the show?"

"You're our favourite actor now," Erica grinned, hearing his chuckle echo around them before he shifted, his attention diverted back towards the village. It looked as if he was listening to something that neither she or Rachel could hear.

"There's my cue. Cover your ears, girls."

"What is he-?" A gasp left Rachel as Draco threw his head back and _roared_, wings spreading wide as flames shot into the air, accenting the rather believeable malevolent glare he sent down at the village.

A cry of shock left her for a completely different reason seconds later, when her mare gave a scream of terror and reared. The abrupt movement tossed her off the horses' back, her breath leaving her in a pained grunt as she crashed to the ground in an undignified heap. She could only watch as her horse wheeled away from the dragon and bolted, vanishing into the forest.

Rachel couldn't help but glare up at a worried Erica, who had managed to keep perfect control of her mare. "I hate that horse."

It took a lot of effort for Erica to keep from laughing. "Are you okay?"

"Nevermind me, go after the damned horse!" Panic gripped her as Rachel tried to get to her feet, failed, then settled for jabbing her index finger in the direction her horse had vanished in. "The spellbook's in my saddlebags!"

No more words were needed. Knowing that they _needed_ that spellbook if they had any chance of getting back to their time, Erica wheeled her mare around and urged the animal into a gallop, racing after the rogue horse. "I'll meet you at the falls!"

The other teen, meanwhile, somehow managed to convince her body to work, enabling her to stagger to her feet and rub her right hand against the small of her back. "The Gods are laughing," she muttered under her breath. "I just know it."

Worried, Draco crouched low on the ledge and frowned at her. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Damned horse needs to learn how to relax." A sigh left her as she looked up at the dragon. "I'm okay, really. So, did it work?"

Orange-gold eyes glanced in the direction of the village. "They're still talking. I can't tell what about, though. Are you certain you're alright?"

"I'm _fine._ Honest." She shook her head as she raked her fingers through her hair. "I'm more worried about the horse, actually. Hope 'Rica manages to catch up with it. I do _not_ relish the idea of _walking_ back to the waterfall."

The dragon chuckled softly at the tone of her voice as he straightened out of his crouch and angled his wings to bask in the sunlight. "I'm certain we can work something out. Besides-" He cut himself off with a start and frowned. "What in the worlds are those people doing?"

"I wouldn't know, there's a forest in my line of vision," Rachel retorted, momentarily eyeing the short climb up the mountain side that led the the cliff before smirking and darting into the forest to her left.

"They've just tied someone to a post and... Rachel? Rachel, where are you?" The sound of stones cracking and sliding down the side of the cliff made him glance behind himself, blinking at the teen that finished climbing up to him. "You're incorrigible."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Grinning, she brushed dirt off her pants, then carefully picked her way across the loose shale, daring to rest a hand on his left foreleg to balance herself. "It's easier to climb up here than it looks."

"Be careful all the same." Smothering a worried rumble, Draco returned gaze to the village, then tilted his head, baffled. "I haven't the slightest idea what they're doing."

Curiosity overriding her sense of fear, Rachel inched closer to the edge and peered at the cart that was being wheeled out of the village, the woman that was tied to the build-in post struggling frantically. "Well, I'm drawing a blank. I'm blaming Bowen, all the same."

The dragon rolled his eyes at her before shifting to corral her between his forelegs, uncomfortable with her being so close to the edge. A tumble from the cliff would just knock the breath from him. For her, it could mean her death. The burst of protectiveness he felt towards her surprised him. Yet another thing he needed time to think about.

Finally, after almost five minutes of staring at the bound woman, the sound of hoofbeats announced Bowen's arrival. Draco wasted no time in fixing the Knight with a curious stare. "Who's the girl?"

Highly irritated by a plan gone completely to hell, Bowen jerked on the reins roughly, bringing his horse to a stop before glaring up at the inquisitive dragon. "A nuisance! Get rid of her! And where's the other two?"

"Rachel's next to me, Erica's gone to try to catch her runaway horse. Now why are the villagers doing that to her?"

The Knight grit his teeth, wishing the dragon wasn't so damned curious. "They're trying to placate you with a sacrifice."

"Well, whoever gave them _that_ bright idea?" Draco retorted wryly, hearing Rachel's badly muffled snicker he crouched to give the Knight an annoyed frown before returning to his former pose.

"Uhhh... Nevermind!" Bowen firmly resolved _never_ to try that particular threat on any villager, _ever _again. "Just get rid of her!"

"How?"

"Eat her!"

A grimace spread over Draco's face at the mere thought of having to eat a human. "Oh, _please_. Yech."

"My, aren't we squeamish?" The memory of pulling a decomposed _arm_ out from between the dragon's molars was still very fresh in his mind. "You ate Sir Eglamore, _hypocrite!_"

Draco shifted nervously, then tucked his wings against his sides, mimicking the stance of a human with their hands on their hips. "I merely chewed in self-defence!" He replied, adding, proudly, "But, I never swallowed."

"That is _so_ disgusting," Rachel muttered, just loud enough for her to know that Draco had heard her. It was obvious by the embarrassed expression on his face.

Now fully annoyed by this turn of events, Bowen sighed heavily and rose a hand to massage his suddenly aching temple. "Improvise!"

"Alright! Alright." Sighing, Draco sent a final, irritated look down at Bowen, then rose from his perch. "Stand back, Rachel. I don't want to risk knocking you off the..." His voice trailed off at the sight of Bowen already riding back to the village, his breath leaving him in a growl. "Well! So much for getting Bowen to give you a ride back to the village. Alright, then! Climb up."

"What?"

A chuckle rumbled out of him as he crouched low, looking at Rachel out of the corner of his left eye as he offered his foreleg as a step. "Climb up, my dear. Quickly now. There's a spot at the base of my neck that is free of spikes and whatnot. Don't worry. I won't drop you."

Shaking, Rachel sent a final, hesitant, glance at him, then, when he merely smiled at her, hesitantly set a foot on his leg and clambored up onto his back. To her surprise, there really was a place bare of spines and thicker scales, and she crouched there like a jockey, her heart beating a mile a minute. He slowly rose to his feet, giving her a few moments to steady herself before he spread his wings.

"Hold tight!" Draco warned her, a smile in his voice. "This is going to be a rather rough first flight!"

"Oh Gods, I must be in_SANE!_" The urge to scream was overridden by the sensation of the ground falling away, and Rachel was certain that she had left her stomach back on the cliff as Draco dove off into thin air, wings giving a powerful downbeat before he soared towards the 'sacrifice'. Her nails grated against his scales as he twisted, grabbing the cart with both sets of front and back claws before grunting and rising back into the air. The cart was immediately disposed of, his talons making quick work of the ropes that bound the now unconscious woman.

Once he had levelled out, Draco risked a quick look back at his passenger. "Rachel? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" She answered in a tone that was three octaves too high, her voice cracking in the process. "I'm okay, I- Oh gods, I shouldn't have looked down."

He found himself chuckling at her tone of voice, despite the realization that she was very much afraid. "I won't let you fall. Besides, I thought you weren't afraid of heights."

"Normal heights, no. I've just never been three hundred feet above the ground before!" Swallowing her fear, Rachel forced herself to sit a bit straighter, moving carefully so as not to impede his flying. His wings sliced through the air, his entire body bobbing up and down with every beat, muscles striving to keep them in the air. Flying was no effortless thing of fairytales, that was for certain. "How's the sacrifice?"

"She fainted when I snatched up the cart," Draco answered, peering down at the girl he was holding in his claws and frowning at the mud and dirt that caked her skin. "It looks like whatever happened in that village wasn't in her favor."

The sight of the waterfall in the distance made the nervous knot in his belly loosen; Draco didn't want the woman in his grasp to wake up mid-flight and start to struggle. He did his best not to jostle his passenger any more than necessary as he slowed his speed and circled the falls, keen eyes scouring the area before he deemed it safe.

His wings cupped the air as he backwinged, toe talons digging deep into the lose pebbles as he set the unconscious girl on a large boulder before dropping down onto all fours. Feeling rather proud of himself - it had been _ages_ since he'd had a passenger, nevermind carried a second person in his claws - Draco turned his head to smile at the teen on his back. "You can let go now."

Rachel startled and opened her eyes from where she had buried her face against the rough plates of scales, blinking at their surroundings for a moment before smiling sheepishly and lowering her aching arms from his neck. "Sorry."

tbc...

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><p>AN Reviews! (_I'm very, very honoured that everyone loves this fic so much! Oh! On March 27th, Dragonheart comes out on Bluray! Three guesses if I'm buyin' it, and the first two guesses don't count =P_)

Syren15 - Yes, I will be rewriting the sequel. I've got enough drabbles and half-chapters saved that I should be able to extend the sequel as well. Right now, though, I'm stuck on chapter 10 of this story... But I'm going to be visiting family in March, and somehow, I always seem to write more then - probably because their internet connection sucks and all my saved Xbox games aren't there. (Also, I've been distracted by Fallout 3 on Xbox *ducks head*)

keacdragon - No, Draco can never be forgotten. Nor should he.

BigBlurryThing - I _fully_ admit that I am my own worst critic. I am not blind to it. I know it and accept it and try to push myself through the anxiety and post stuff. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. It's kind of a coin toss with me. *shrug* Depression - pardon my language - is a _bitch_. Good days, bad days, _bleh_. Heck, I have Windstone dragon statues that I _swear_ are giving me looks some days. Kinda like - snap out of it you twit!

SerpentOfMoe - No worries! You haven't commented, and I haven't posted... we're even. *grins* And yes, I really wanted to flesh out the characters this time around. I'm glad it's coming through the way I had hoped!


	8. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

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><p>"Please, wake up! Oh, Stars, what have I done? Rachel, can't you Heal her?"<p>

"There's nothing to be done for people who pass out from fear, Draco."

"Oh, dear. I hope I didn't frighten her to death."

"She'll be _fine_. There, see? She's waking up. Hey, you okay?"

Kara frowned at the voices - one belonging to a rich toned male, the other, a young female - and mentally clawed her way out of the grey fog that was muddling her thoughts. Wary, because the last thing she remembered was being grabbed by a dragon, she opened her eyes and squinted past the brightness of the sun, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the glare.

And promptly wished she had stayed unconscious.

She screamed her way back into full coherancy, wide eyes locked on the dragon that was towering over her. She didn't even notice the hazel-eyed teen until the girl touched her arm. At which point, a panicking Kara remembered the dagger she had tucked into her belt.

"Holy _shit!_" Rachel flung herself backwards, the tip of the knife slicing through her shirt and grazing her stomach. Realising that if she hadn't moved, she would have been enviscerated, she growled and lashed out, kicking the dagger out of the woman's hand. The blade glinted in the sunlight as it clattered onto the boulder they were perched on, then slid off and dropped into the water.

"What the hell is your problem?" Rachel snapped, glaring at the cowering woman and rolling her eyes when the redhead rose a shaking hand to point at Draco. "Yes, he's a dragon. Congratulations, you're smarter than a turnip! Shall we try to get up to a goat's level, or are we all tuckered out for the day?"

Faced with an obviously insane teenage girl, and a dragon that was staring at her far too intensely, Kara did the only thing a sane person presented with such a situation would do: she tried to run. That plan was quickly foiled, however, as she stepped off the boulder she hadn't realised she was perched on, and dropped into freezing cold water.

Rachel sighed and looked at Draco, who was watching the woman flounder around with a sort of stunned expression. "This was your idea," she reminded him, snickering when he shot her an exasperated look. She grinned in respose, and gestured to the other woman with a wave of her hand.

With a long suffering sigh, Draco mustered up a smile and leaned closer to the now shivering woman. "Here, now. Let me help."

Kara would have screamed again, had she the time. But just as she was finished drawing in a breath, the dragon reached out and gently - _very_ gently - scooped her into his left claw and lifted her from the water. Reflex had her grasping hold of one of his talons, certain that he was about to kill her.

Except he merely smiled at her kindly and carefully deposited her back atop the boulder.

"There you go! You certainly look better without all that mud on you. Why, you're quite pretty!"

Flattered and bewildered, Kara shoved her bangs out of her face and glanced from the dragon, to the teenage girl, and back again. _This is not how a dragon is supposed to act. He's not growling or breathing fire... He has manners, for God's sake! Maybe it's a trap or some sort of trick? But, then again, that girl's alright. _Kara had felt the tremendous strength in the claw that had delicately scooped her from the water. Knew the dragon _could have_ killed her - easily - but hadn't. Instead, he was being a perfect gentleman... or was that 'gentle-dragon'?

Still, one didn't live long by blindly trusting everyone you met. "Y-You're not going to... eat me?"

There was a very audible slapping sound as the auburn-haired teenager rose a head to her forehead in an exasperated smack.

Rolling his eyes at Rachel's theatrics, Draco shifted to lie in a more relaxed pose and calmly met the red haired woman's gaze. "No, my dear, I most certainly will not eat you. Are you alright? I really didn't mean to give you such a scare."

Slowly realising that this wasn't a 'normal' dragon, Kara managed to stammer out a flustered, "I-I'm alright."

"Oh, good! You had us worried for a moment or two there." He couldn't help but grin when he saw the fear fade from her eyes, pleased to note that it had been replaced by a wary curiousity. "Rachel? Could you spare your cloak? I'm afraid the water is quite chilly, and- Oh. Forgive me. I didn't ask your name!"

This dragon was just going to keep surprising her, wasn't he? "It's Kara."

"Pleased to meet you." Draco gestured towards the teenager that was shucking out of her cloak. "This is, Rachel, and you may call me, Draco. Ah, thank you, Rachel. Here, now, Kara. Take off that soaked tunic and put this on over your shift. We wouldn't want you catching cold, now would we?"

It took everything Rachel had to keep from laughing. She'd never imagined that Draco could act like such a ham. Blatantly flirting with Kara in order to disarm her. All suave smiles, coy looks, and rolling brogue. And judging by the amused look the dragon sent her way, he was well aware of why she was struggling to smother her mirth.

She couldn't wait to tell Erica.

"I'm sorry," Kara murmured as 'Rachel' offered her cloak to her. "About attacking you. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Just a scratch," Rachel shrugged, waving Kara's concern aside. "I've had worse. Besides, considering what I did to your hand, I'd say we're fairly even. Let me see your wrist. And, if you can keep from shrieking again, I might be able to fix it."

Wary and curious, Kara let the teenager lift her right arm, the girl's hazel eyes narrowing as she inspected the swollen, discoloured bruise that decorated her wrist. The teen seemed to know what she was doing, firmly but gently coaxing her to try to move her wrist - which sent a sharp pain up her arm - then checking to see if Kara could move her fingers and form a fist.

When she was done, Kara watched as Rachel and Draco exchanged glances, the dragon loosing an encouraging rumble that pulled an answering sigh from the teen. "What?"

"Your wrist is broken," Rachel admitted softly, eyes troubled. "Just hold still, Kara. I'll have it as good as new in a bit."

Memories of being tutored by the village Healer made Kara think that the teen meant to splint and immobilize her wrist. So, when Rachel lightly covered her wrist with a hand and closed her eyes, Kara was beyond confused. That confusion morphed to shock and unease when an odd tingling warmth raced through her hand, and up her arm. It was only shock that kept her from pulling away, her eyes widening a minute later, when Rachel rose her hand, revealing that the worrisome bruise and swelling that had encompassed her wrist had vanished.

She blurted the only thing that was on her mind. "You're a witch!"

The teen winced. "The polite term is 'Wiccan'. But, yeah. I'm a white witch, if you care."

"_White_ witch?"

One shoulder rose and fell in an shrug. "The opposite of black. You're smart, figure it out."

"Rachel, that's enough," Draco admonished her gently, frowning worriedly when she shot him a pained look before turning to stare at the waterfall. "Kara, a white witch is one that vows not to use their abilities for evil. Rachel, here, has great talent in Healing. It's how she mended your wrist."

Kara touched her wrist, then rose her gaze to the teenager that was still staring at the falls. She was taken aback, when she saw Rachel cup her right wrist in her opposite hand, fingers massaging the joint. "...you took the pain?"

The teen sent a wary glance at Kara over one shoulder. "Side effect. Happens when I'm tired."

"I'm sorry," Kara whispered, flushing with shame. "My only defence is that I've had a rather horrid couple of days, and my ability to be good company is fairly nonexistant."

Draco, who could see Rachel's face, watched her take in a deep breath. Saw her mentally gather up all of the turmoiled emotions that Kara had stumbled upon and shove them deep down inside of herself. Kara remained unaware of the momentary chink in the teen's armor, and with her nearby, the dragon knew that trying to ease Rachel's burden would have to wait.

That didn't mean, however, that he couldn't help in other ways.

"Well, your village did offer you up as a maiden sacrifice," he said, lightening the comment with a smile. "If that isn't the epitome of a horrid day, I'd rather not find out what is."

Rachel smirked a little as Kara loosed a tired chuckle, then sighed and turned back towards the woman. "Let's start this again. I'm Rachel. White witch, Healer, general quipper of snark and apparant side-kick to a dragon. You are?"

Kara smiled the first real smile she'd done in days. "Kara. Maiden, unpopular villager, and apparantly very effective dragon-bait."

Draco's laughter send birds flying for miles around.

* * *

><p>"Where. IS. He?"<p>

Growling, Bowen spurred his horse deeper into the woods, heading for the waterfalls in the franitc hope of finding Draco there. It had been well over two hours since he had last seen the dragon. Two hours since his boasting to the villagers that the dragon would return had ended in taunting remarks and more than one wry quip about his apparant lack of knowledge when it came to the art of 'dragonslaying'.

His mood had only worsened when he had found tracks belonging to a hunting party. Six different sets of hoof prints, and, judging by their depth, all fairly laden down with weapons. While it didn't seem that said party was heading in the direction of the falls, just the simple fact that there was one in the area made him nervous for Draco's safety.

And with the troublemaking duo of Rachel and Erica around, there was no telling what mischief had befallen the dragon.

The breeze that he was downwind of shifted then, funneled by the game trail he was guiding his horse along. An odd sound drifted along with the wind, and Bowen quickly reined his steed in, coaxing it into a full stop. The noise seemed to bounce off of every tree, seemingly coming from no where, yet, everywhere, all at once. It was a deep melody, rising and falling, no vocals - at least none that he could discern - but powerful just the same. And it sounded, dare he think it, happy?

His mind connected the sound with Draco just as the dragon's familiar chuckle accompanied the rumbles that echoed through the forest. _Oh, thank God. He's alright._ His next thought, right on the heels of the first was, _Who the hell is he singing to?_

* * *

><p>"You have a beautiful voice!" Kara smiled as Draco let the last note drift away, seeing Rachel grin out of the corner of her eye as the teen lounged on the boulder next to her, leaning back on one elbow.<p>

"Well thank you!" the dragon chuckled, sparing a wink at a smirking Rachel. "We dragons love to sing when we're happy."

"You're not like a dragon at all."

_That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard,_ Rachel mused to herself, rolling her eyes. _How would she know? Does she spend most of her time getting kidnapped by dragons or something?_ Holding back a snarky comment, she shifted and sat up, her right elbow resting on her right knee as she sunk her cheek into the palm of her hand, listening to Draco's amused rumble as the dragon ducked his head close to Kara, eyeing her curiously.

"Oh? And how many dragons do you know?"

_My point exactly. And, oh, Gods, he's such a horrible flirt! I'm going to get internal damage trying not to laugh. _

Kara figited under that intense gaze. "Well... You're the first."

"You should never listen to minstrel's fancies," Draco told her as he backed away, looking from an amused Rachel to Kara. "A dragon would never hurt a soul. Unless they tried to hurt him first."

"Really?" Kara folded her arms over her chest and arched a brow curiously. "Then why were you in my village?"

Draco's eyes widened as he looked from Kara to an equally startled Rachel. "Oh! The village!"

"Yes! The village! You remember the _village._"

Rachel sighed as followed Draco's embarrassed gaze over to Bowen, who rode his horse through the small creek and over to their part of the shoreline. She didn't bother to stop Kara from reaching for her dagger though. One, because Bowen still irritated her, and two, because she severely doubted that Kara would even manage to score a single scratch on him.

"Leave him alone you bully!" Brandishing her dagger - returned to her earlier by Draco - Kara slid from the rock and moved to stand in front of the dragon. If she had bothered to glance at said dragon, she would have seen him frantically gesture to Bowen in an attempt to keep the Knight from continuing their little ruse. "Run, Draco, fly! I'll hold him!"

"Kara, trust me. You won't have to," Rachel said as she jumped down and smirked at Bowen. "Ah, the Grumbling Wonder returns. Happen to see Erica on your way here?"

"No. And where have you been?" The last was directed to the dragon.

"I'm truly sorry Bowen. I've... uh... been _distracted_. Bowen, meet Kara."

The Knight frowned as he dismounted, turning to look at the red haired woman and the dagger she was waving at him. After a second of studying her, he grunted in dismissal and stalked over to the water's edge. "You should have eaten her."

"And _that _is why I call him the Grumbling Wonder," Rachel told Kara, catching the woman's look of confusion as she slowly lowered the dagger. "Calm down. He's not going to do anything. He wouldn't dare. 'Sides, we both know that Draco could squish him like a bug if he wanted to."

"Rachel, dear, you're not helping." Draco sighed and looked at Bowen as the man crouched by the pond's edge to wash his hands and splash water onto his face. "Oh, don't get angry Bowen."

"Why not? I was worried to death!"

The dragon blinked, then sent a surprised look at the man's back. "Worried? About me?"

"Yes! About you! I had the lacuer all set up! The whole village was out there with me." Bowen started to wave his arms around as he worked up his rant. "I didn't know where you were. When you're coming back. _If _you're coming back. You just dis-" He cut himself off as he spun to look at the dragon just to discover that Draco had up and vanished again. He shot a look at the two women, frowned when Rachel sent him an 'are you an idiot' look in return, then turned to frown in the direction of splashing in time to see Draco's tail vanish into the falls.

The dragon's voice was full of warning as he called back to them. "Be careful! He's coming!"

Automatically on alert, Rachel spun towards the nearing sounds of riders on horseback, her own instincts screaming at her to arm herself, and arm herself _now._ Knowing better than to second-guess those instincts, she dashed over to Bowen's horse and snatched the bow she saw there, grabbing a couple of arrows and darting back to stand near Kara.

"You any good with that?" Bowen muttered to her as he watched six riders come into view, his mood growing darker at who he saw was leading them. _Einon._

"No worries." She turned at an indrawn breath and looked at Kara, her eyes widening at the look of fear in the woman's eyes. "Kara? What...?" _I know that look. My Aunt had it in her eyes before she started drinking. After that bastard boyfriend of hers came home drunk and pissed off from losing money at poker. Oh Gods. Oh ,Kara, why didn't you say anything? _

Anger washed the worst of her shock aside as Rachel turned to meet Kara's gaze, pitching her voice so that only the woman could hear her. "Kara, listen to me. _Listen_. He won't get you, alright? He won't."

Startled by the barely veiled rage in the girls' voice, Kara swallowed past the lump in her throat and took a wary step backwards. "How?" she whispered. "How do you know?"

"Your eyes," Rachel told her. "I've seen that look before."

With her anger coiling in her stomach, the teen sunk the extra arrows into the ground by her feet, then notched the one she held. Practice had her pushing her ire aside, letting cold concentration steady her hands as she pulled the bow taut, aiming for the leader of the group. The one on the white stallion. The one who Kara had been staring at.

And, it seemed, that the rider _knew_ the other person in their group.

"Well, well! It can't be! The King's old mentor," Einon drawled mockingly as he looked at the familiar Knight, then turned his attention to the two women behind him. "And I see you've found the girl I lost! Though now, I'm rather curious about her little friend."

Growling, Rachel pulled back more on the arrow, the muscles in her arms protesting at having to hold the weapon in perfect stillness as she glared at the rider. "Wither and die, you irritating little maggot!"

Bowen chuckled at Rachel's scathing retort, then causally rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. He didn't miss the frightened and disgusted look on Kara's face as she rose her dagger in Einon's direction. "As you can see Einon, I don't think they're yours to have."

"Not their decision, I'm afraid!" Knowing that he could collect the two women as his leisure, Einon turned his attention from them and refocused it onto the Knight. "The times have not been kind to you, Bowen. You should never have broke with me."

"It was you who broke with me!"

_They know each other?_ Baffled, Rachel sent a curious glance in Kara's direction, frowning when the only answer to her silent question was a confused shrug. _These two have a history? Then... Bowen used to serve the kingdom. A Knight of the Realm, that's what Draco called him. So, what happened? Well, if I had found out that I'd have to bow down to that little bastard, I'd leave too. _Still frowning, she turned her attention back to the king - Einon - and eyed him, and the riders with him, distainfully. _Why'd Draco run from an idiot like him? I mean, even with the five riders that are with him, how can they pose a threat to him? Argh, I'm missing something vitally important here._

Her internal musings were interupted by the sight of Einon dismounting from his horse, and she automatically shifted her stance to follow his movements with the arror as he drew his sword. It took here a few moments to realise that his attention wasn't on her, or Kara, at all. No, it was Bowen that held his gaze, and it was Bowen that was wading through the water to meet him in the centre of the pond.

Kara sent a worried glance at Rachel before returning her gaze too the two men standing almost waist deep in the chilly water. The air as charged, like before a violent storm, and, instinctively, she knew that whatever was about to happen, was not going to end well.

"Rache! Girl, I found your-" Erica bit her lip to cut short her greeting as she rode over to her friend, the runaway mare meekly following. Draco was nowhere to be seen, there was a strange woman by the other teen's side, and Bowen was facing off against some unknown man in white clothing. Clearly, she had missed something. "Uh... what's going on?"

Rachel hissed at her to shut up as the first move was made. Blades clashed. It was obvious that Bowen was the more skilled fighter. He moved with more grace, more control and balance than Einon did. Einon just looked like he was trying to hack at the Knight. But, while he seemed rather bumbling in comparison to Bowen, his moves seemed eerily similar. Only more ragged, unpracticed.

It occured to her, that Bowen must have, at one time, been Einon's _teacher._ And that suspicion was justified when, seconds later, the Knight ducked a sloppy swing, sidestepped, then whacked the flat of his sword against Einon's back, scowling angrily.

"That's one lesson you never learned!" Bowen growled, hating the holier than thou look on Einon's face as the younger man twisted to sneer at him over his left shoulder. "Only expose your back to a corpse!"

"You _are_ a corpse!" The verbal shot hit it's mark, and Bowen stepped back as Einon spun to violently knock his sword aside. "You just don't know it yet!"

Einon knew he'd scored a hit. One far more important and damning than a physical wound. Laughing at the shock on Bowen's face, he used the distraction to his advantage, the sheer ferocity of his attacks driving the older man backwards, until he tripped on the steep shoreline and fell onto his back on the sands. "Lie down, Bowen! You're the sorry scrap of dead worlds, and dead beliefs!"

Moving silently, Erica slid from her horse's back and went to stand next to Rachel, who now held the bow and arrow loosely in her hands, her gaze glued to the fight as Bowen shoved himself to his feet and, with a backhanded swing, knocked Einon's blade away from him.

His voice cracked with emotion as Bowen parried, both Einon's sword, and his words. "They were your beliefs!"

Einon chuckled coldly, the sun reflecting off his blade as he faced the Knight, delighting in the pain he saw in Bowen's eyes. "Never! Never mine!"

"You said the words! You spoke them from your heart!"

"I vomited them up because I couldn't stomach them! Because I knew it was what you wanted to hear!" Blades clashed again, and though Einon saw an opening to strike, he held back. Better to completely destroy the Knight before he sunk his sword into him and ended his delusions of 'belief' and 'honor'.

"Lies! I _taught_ you!"

Really, Einon thought Bowen to be only too predictable. "You taught me to fight, that's all. I took what I needed from you."

_Oh dear Gods!_ Coldness gripped Rachel's heart when she saw Bowen falter under the harsh truth that Einon weilded._ He's going to lose!_ She was unable to look away, her hands clenching on the bow she held as Bowen threw himself at Einon. But his attacks lacked strength, and were borne of desperation and pain. He had already lost to the wounds that Einon's words had caused.

Those emotional wounds gained a physical partner as Einon spotted an opening and lunged forward, sinking his blade deep into Bowen's right shoulder. The Knight gasped as pain cut through him, reaching up to clutch at the wound as he staggered back and leaned against the boulder that sat in the centre of the pond. It took everything he had not to cry out when Einon smirked and lightly twisted his sword, slicing deeper into his flesh.

"You taught me to fight," Einon repeated coldly, smiling as he roughly jerked his sword's blade out of Bowen's shoulder. "You taught me well."

Unable to stand on the sidelines any longer, Rachel tossed the bow and arrow to Erica and rushed forward, ignoring her friend's worried call as she sloshed through the water until she was standing next to Bowen. Einon had turned his back as he sheathed his sword, and she used the time to place a hand on the Knight's bleeding shoulder, ignoring how hot, sticky, blood flowed around her splayed fingers.

"Hold still, Bowen," she whispered, ignoring his attempts to push her away. "Just hold still, you have to trust me."

Shocked by the intensity of her gaze, Bowen nodded dumbly, twisting to stare at his shoulder when a wave of warmth spread from Rachel's hand, and into his flesh, radiating from the wound, down his arm and across his chest. The pain vanished, obliterated by something that he was struggling to comprehend. "What... What are you- Lookout!"

His eyes widened when he spotted Einon spinning around, a dagger in his hand as he prepared to throw it. Hissing with fresh pain, Bowen rose his good arm and tried to shove Rachel aside, cursing when she braced herself. Any other attempt at trying to shield her from certain death faded when he saw her eyes narrow, those hazel eyes hardening as she rose her right hand, little embers of light dancing at her fingertips. Power - how could some slip of a girl emmenate so much power? - pulsed around her, rippling the water they stood in as she took a breath and began to speak-

-only their view of Einon was suddenly blocked by a wall of scaled muscle as Draco landed in front of them, his challenging roar echoing loudly as he flared his wings and _glared_ down at the 'King'.

No one was the least surprised when Einon paled and scrambled for his horse, leading the full retreat of his hunting party.

A little annoyed, Rachel dropped her right hand back to her side, then glanced towards the sound of splashing, watching as Erica and Kara waded over to her. Bowen was still slumped against the boulder, his hand covering hers as she applied pressure to his bleeding shoulder. Sighing, Rachel sent another pulse of Healing energy into him, trying to lessen the pain and speed the healing process, glaring at him when Bowen shoved her away.

"Are you alright?" Worried, Erica gave her friend a once-over, looking for any wounds, or worse, a dagger sticking out of her.

Rachel waved the other teen's concern aside. "I'm fine."

"I can stand on my own, girl," Bowen grumbled as he pushed himself upright, reaching up to grasp at his shoulder as he moved out of Rachel's reach. A flash of red drew his attention to Kara as she neared him, and he looked away from the sympathy in her eyes, scowling down at the water before turning his gaze to Draco, who was still glaring after the riders. "Why did you interfere? I had _everything _under control!"

Erica rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. He looked real scared while he was kicking your ass."

tbc...

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><p>AN - I'm going to be visiting family for a while. Might be a week, might be two, not sure. So the next update will be late. But I promise I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get back home!


	9. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

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><p>"Bowen! If you don't hold still and let me finish wrapping your shoulder, I'm gonna have Rachel knock you unconscious!"<p>

"Erica, I am _not_ an attack dog!" Rachel groaned, leaning back against the tree she was sitting under. Her friend was trying to tie a makeshift bandage around Bowen's shoulder, and the Knight was not being a well-behaved patient. He'd outright refused to acknowledge that she could Heal him, and had taken to glaring at her everytime she tried to offer help.

Their little group - plus one, because Rachel had absolutely refused to leave Kara behind - had retreated to the cliff in the forest. Staying at the waterfall would have been far too dangerous, and with Bowen wounded, emotionally and physically, no one had wanted to risk him passing out if they tried for a further campsite.

Kara had been less than pleased when they had explained Bowen and Draco's _true_ reason for visiting her village. She had launched into a scathing tirade about ethics that had been cut short when Rachel had politely reminded her that Draco had, technically, _saved her_ from her village, and that if Kara didn't like how she had been rescued, then she was free to return to said village.

That had been the end of that. At least until Kara had decided that poking at their morals and speaking of the troubles that the people of the Realm were suffering under Einon's rule was a better use of her time.

Even Erica had gotten annoyed after the first hour of that. True, she had already been appalled that Rachel had been ready to loose a full power spell at Einon, right in front of witnesses that would more than likely burn her at the stake. And she had been rather annoyed to learn that while she had been chasing a horse across the countryside, Rachel and Draco had been comfortably lounging by a waterfall. So, while she usually wasn't one to threaten people, Erica had been the first to snap and loudly inform Kara that she was quite willing to tie the woman to a tree and leave her behind.

No one knew where Draco had flown off to after that little verbal explosion.

So now the entire camp was awash with tension, and Rachel was beginning to feel a spastic twitch in the muscles above her right eye.

Thus, when Bowen's complaining, Erica's irritated remarks and Kara's empassioned speeches reached a fever pitch, Rachel shot to her feet, returned the curious looks with a glare, and spun to stalk into the surrounding forest.

"Where's she going?" Bowen asked gruffly, frowning when both Erica and Kara shrugged before yelling after the teen. "Hey! Stay near the camp!"

When all he got as an answer was a halfhearted wave, he growled a curse, swatted Erica's hands away from his shoulder and wrapped his cloak around himself. With a final annoyed glare at the two women, he lay down and rolled over so his back was to them and added a final, "Don't wake me until morning!"

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><p><em>My sanity - what little I have left - for a bottle of tylenol.<em>

Sighing, Rachel ducked around some low-hanging branches, stepped over a fallen log, and strongly resisted the urge to beat her head off a tree. She loved Erica, and while she merely tolerated Bowen and didn't even know Kara, if any of them decided to follow her, she was certain her reaction would be less than welcoming. After two hours of listening to the moaning and bitching, she was at the end of her limited patience.

The day had steadfastedly gone to hell, minus the handbasket. In all honesty, the teen was beginning to wonder if her wish to be brought here had been a warning sign of some sort of debilitating psychosis. Ever since she and Erica had arrived, things had been going downhill at breakneck speed. There had been some bright spots, she wouldn't argue, but things just seemed to be falling apart around them.

Another sigh left her as waded through a lush patch of undergrowth, not overly caring which direction she was going in. A slight tap into the land around her told her where every stone was, where to step to avoid tripping over a tree root, and where the thorn-laden bushes were growing. It was cheating. But the sun had set half an hour before, and the mere thought of going back to camp to grab a torch made her stomach clench with stress.

Only when Rachel was certain that she was far enough away that no one would be able to track her did she send a questing pulse into the land, smiling as she turned north. The cliff the camp was situated at stretched across the landscape, and it was there that she headed to, grinning when she saw the open sky, stars glittering above the stretch of landscape below.

Completely unaffected by the height, she went to sit at the very edge of the cliff, legs dangling over the long drop as she leaned back on her hands and stared up at the stars high above. Something had been bothering her. During their trek from the waterfall to the cliffside forest, Erica had confided in her that she had sensed a presence during the fight, and that it had continued to periodically watch them. Something that seemed to have a keen interest in their little group. Something benign, but intelligent, and _very _powerful. Something that watched from high above, much higher than the tallest tree and highest cloud. And since Erica was a medium - able to sense spirits and presences with ridiculous ease - Rachel had no reason to doubt her.

And her instincts were telling her that the source of the presence that Erica felt was there, clustered in a specific constellation. The constellation that was so much more than a mere grouping of stars.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, staring up at the stars, daring to lower some of her mental sheilds in the hopes of being able to sense what Erica had. It was only when a cresent moon appeared above the horizon that she even realised that she was shivering, goosebumps having broken out across her arms. Knowing that Erica was probably worrying, Rachel carefully got to her feet, then groaned because of the stiff ache in her back, a painful reminder of being thrown from her horse earlier that day.

"You were right you know."

Yelping, she spun, a spell already gathering in her right hand, and stared into the darkness, her heart thundering in her chest as the shadows moved. Pale light from the moon shimmered off of copper and gold scales as Draco seemingly materialised from the forest itself, his gaze locking onto hers. It took everything she had not to shiver at the emotions in his orange-gold eyes.

"Really?" she quipped in response as she banished the energy she had gathered, falling back on her usual sarcasm. "That's a first."

He shook his head, dismissing her retort as he rose his gaze to peer up at the sky. "About the stars. About how they comfort, even when it's the darkest of times." Sighing, he looked at her again, noting her confusion. "The others are worried."

She blinked at the change of topic, then shrugged. "Didn't think they'd notice too much if I took off. 'Sides, I needed to get away from them for a while. It was either escape for a bit or risk losing my temper at the whole lot of them."

"Hmm." Draco carefully moved past her, very aware of her gaze on him as he moved to lay down near the cliff, stretching out on his belly as he rose his gaze to the stars again. "You would have given yourself away back at the falls."

She walked over to him as she spoke, reclaiming her spot on the edge and kicking her feet over the drop. "So? Bowen's a huge pain in the neck, but I wouldn't want to see him _dead_. And despite my opinion of him, he didn't deserve what Einon did to him. Or what Einon _could_ have done." When the dragon didn't comment, Rachel frowned and turned to look at him. "Draco, what's this about?"

He countered her question with his own. "Do you remember that story you told me about? The one your mother told you?"

"About the stars and the Dragon's Heaven?"

"Mmhm. It isn't just a mere story. I don't know where your mother learned of it, but that story is quite true."

"I know. I've always known, I think."

A low mournful trill left him as he turned to look at her, searching her gaze for a moment before sighing and clenching his eyes shut, unable to look at the stars. "Twelve years ago, a woman that I trusted brought her son to me. He had been wounded in the same rebellion that his father had been killed in. She _begged _me to save her child's life - I wouldn't have helped any other but her, I don't think she ever realised that..." He caught himself and shook his head a little before forcing himself to gaze down at the teen. "The truth of the story is that the Dragon's Heaven isn't open to all dragons who die. The priviledge must be _earned_, else our souls disappear, as if we never were. I had thought... No. I _knew _that reuniting man and dragon would gift me with that honor when I died. So, I shared my Lifesource, my _heart_, with that dying boy, despite the evil I sensed in him. He was the King's son, a dragonslayer's son..."

_Oh lords. _"Einon."

"Yes." He was forced to stop, holding back the keen that closed his throat. Only when Draco had fought the urge down did he continue. "I was so naive, Rachel. So, foolish. I honestly thought my heart could change him, could overwhelm the darkness in him. But I knew, the next day, that his dark nature had polluted it, tainted it. And because of that, the stars will _never_ be within my reach!"

Shivering at the pain and loss in his voice, Rachel got to her feet and walked over to him, reaching out to lightly touch his cheek when he ducked his head down to her. The tortured emotions in his eyes made tears gather in hers, and she found herself stepping even closer to impulsively throw her arms around as much of his neck as she could, hugging him with all the strength she had.

Draco tensed for a moment, then, unbidden, let loose the keen that had been building in him, the sound echoing around them. Wings trembling, he turned his head to press his cheek against her back, talons on his foreclaws digging deep into the ground as he clenched his eyes shut and let another sound of agonising emotional pain rip it's way out of him. Twelve years without comfort, and now, this slip of a girl was offering what no one else had offered. What he'd convinced himself he didn't deserve.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered, dropping a bit of her shields to send a pulse of Healing energy into him. Even if he wasn't physically hurt, the sensation of warmth and calmness was bound to help. "I'm so, so, _sorry._"

The dragon sucked in a shuddering breath. "I've outlived the last of my Kin by skulking in shadows and darkness for twelve years. I wanted to end it. I wanted to end it _all!_ But it's my _soul_. Even though I've already damned myself, I don't want my soul to vanish as if I never was." A pained sound left him as he shivered, from snout to tail tip, and continued in a rough whisper. "The Knight, Bowen. There's something of the Once Ways in him. He has the strength to do what I've been unable to. He is the key to ending Einon's reign. But I don't dare tell him _I_ was the one who gave Einon half my heart. He turned to dragonslaying believing that it was my heart, a _dragon's_ heart, that gave rise to Einon's tyranny. He murdered all those other dragons because he wanted to kill _me!_"

A silence, broken only by Draco's soft keening, fell over them, and Rachel waited until the dragon had calmed a little more before pulling away and stepping back to meet his turmoiled gaze. "There's something you need to know. One of your - what did you call them? Your Kin?" When he nodded, she lightly trailed her fingers across his right cheek. "Well, someone's taken an interest in the lot of us. Erica sensed it earlier. They watched the fight at the falls, and checked in on us from time to time during the trek to the campsite."

He blinked, then sent a wary gaze up at the stars. "What? How did she...?"

"'Rica's a sensitive - a medium. She can sense spirits; ghosts and the like. She's been able to since she was a little girl, and she's much stronger at it than I am. If she says they're watching, they're watching." A slight crease of his brow ridges gave her a clue into his thoughts. "She says there was no negativity. No anger, no disappointment. Just intense interest."

Orange-gold eyes sought out the constellation of his namesake, gazing at them solemnly for a long moment before he became acutely aware of the teen that was standing close to him, one hand resting on the side of his neck. "You know, no human has ever dared to come this close to me before," he murmured, shaking his head when Rachel started to put some distance between them. "No, it's alright. I don't mind. I truly don't."

She tried not to pay attention to the blush on her face. "You looked like you needed a hug."

Draco smiled weakly. "I suppose I did. Thank you, for listening."

"If it counts, I would have done the same thing, had I been in your place. Hard not to help a friend in need. Especially if a child's life hangs in the balance. And it's impossible to look a grieving mother in the face and deny her the one chance to save her child's life. Not unless you're some cruel, cold monster - which you're _not._" Rachel paused and frowned down at the ring on her left index finger, blind to the shocked look on Draco's face. "It's even harder not to hope for a better future. I've been told that loosing hope is the worst thing that can happen to someone."

"Hope. I haven't had that in a long, long, time. And you, my dear?" His voice was soft. "What do you hope for?"

The question threw her off-guard. "Me? Oh, it's stupid. You don't want to hear that."

"Tell me."

The pleading tone in his voice startled her into answering. "Somewhere to belong."

Draco sighed and lowered his head to gently brush his cheek against her shoulder, rumbling softly when she rubbed her curled fingers over his left eyeridge. A low purr left him at the feeling, the caress strangely comforting, making him tilt his face towards her to give her better access.

"...a little harder," he murmured, a smile tugging at his lips when Rachel snickered. Remembering something he'd seen Erica do, he nudged the curve of his left foretalon against her ribs, chuckling when she yelped and swatted at him. "Ticklish, hmm?"

"Behave, or I'll tell Bowen that you purr like a cat," she warned, flicking her fingers arcoss one of the horns that adorned his forehead.

A snort of mirth left him. "Go ahead. His expression might be worth the inevitable teasing."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that."

He chuckled, his laugh dissolving into a pleased hum when Rachel scratched her blunt human fingernails across the sensitive scales that lined his brow and eyeridges. Oh, he was very happy that Bowen wasn't witness to him lying there, purring blissfully, sprawled across the ground with his wings giving little shivers every now and again. Draco was very certain that the man would use the knowledge to tease him mercilessly.

_Not when I have Erica and Rachel to even the odds_, he mused, relaxing under Rachel's ministrations. _Oh, I wish I could have met them years ago. Then I wouldn't feel so guilty about forging a friendship with them. Is it right for me to be so selfish? My time is almost over. And when that time runs out, my unchangable destiny will hurt Rachel more than anything her 'fosters' have ever done to her. Stupid, stupid, dragon. You'll have to tell her, warn her. But not now. Later. After you've faced Bowen._

Sighing, Draco tilted his head and lightly nuzzled her, his exhaled breath ruffling the hem of her shirt. "You never told me, why you left camp."

"Besides the seemingly endless bitching?" Rachel leaned against him, listening to his low rumble as he effortlessly braced her body with his head. "Old ghosts again. When Einon found us, Kara-"

"I know." A growl left him as he spoke, glad that she was at the wrong angle to see the anger in his eyes. "I saw her reaction to Einon from behind the falls. And yours as well."

"It's not what you think. I've never been- It was my Aunt. Her boyfriend likes to gamble, I think I told you that before." At his affirmative hum, she pushed onwards. "One night, he lost a lot of money, and when he stumbled home, he was very drunk, and very angry. I ran, hid out in the forest nearby. I regret that now, because when I got home the next morning, I found my Aunt half-conscious in the bathroom, covered in bruises, with a broken arm and blood on her legs. Her eyes were... It was like he had broken something inside her. Like something good in her had died. I didn't like her then, and I don't like her now, but even she didn't deserve that. The next time he tried that with her, I beat him unconscious with a chair. I paid for it when he woke up, mind you, but... Kara's _eyes._ They were the same as hers." Rachel shuddered, her voice lowering into a whisper. "I had hoped I'd never see that expression again."

Draco stayed silent for a long minute before speaking, and even then, he found it impossible to keep the anger out of his voice. "How old were you?"

"Twelve."

"Oh, Rachel." He carefully rose his left foreclaw to gently stroke a talon up and down her back, pressing her closer to him.

"It's not so bad," she murmured. "He was the reason I learned how to fight. It was a useful thing to know when the bullies started coming after me."

A sigh left him. "That doesn't make it right."

"I never said it did." Silence fell over them once again. It took Rachel five minutes to work up the courage to keep talking. "One night, when my fosters were fighting, I found an old journal that used to belong to my mother. She had written out all the stories she had read to me when I was a child. There was an inscription on the inside cover - 'No matter how difficult life becomes, always remember to follow your heart, and, if that isn't enough guidance, look to the stars. Wind to thy wings, my little dreamer, and may you find what you seek'."

"Is that really what it said?" When he felt her nod, Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure there are no dragons in your time? 'Wind to thy wings' is a semi-formal equivalent of 'goodbye'. And that passage that begins with 'no matter how difficult life becomes', is almost a word for word rendition of one of the Wise One's sayings. For your mother to know those sayings _and_ the true nature of those stars..."

Rachel pulled away to frown at him curiously. "If there _are_ dragons in my time, then they've learned to stay the hell away from people, with good reason. If you think humans in this time are barbaric and weapon-happy, well, they've got nothing in compared to the ones in my time. I doubt any dragon would be brave, or stupid, enough to reveal themselves to anyone."

The information made him frown. "Dragon's are sociable creatures. It's an integral part of who we are. If they live, they would have reached out to _someone_."

"That doesn't change anything, Draco," she gently countered. "That 'someone' wouldn't dare speak of the dragon's existance to _anyone_, for fear that either they'd be sent to a facility for the insane, or that the dragon would be killed - or worse, captured and taken to a lab to be studied and disected like an animal by doctors and scientists. I'm not argueing that it couldn't be possible for a dragon to be living in my time - there are still places in the world where humans haven't spread to - but he'd have learned to be very wary and untrusting of people. For very good reasons."

He sighed heavily. "Your time sounds so dark to me."

"Me too. It's not all evil incarnate, but sometimes it's hard to see the good in it. You have to remember to _look_ for it, to find a balance. Otherwise..."

A rumble left him when she rose her right arm, letting him see the faint scars on the inside of her wrist. "Otherwise the darkness wins," he finished for her, touching his snout to her arm and feeling his own scar, hidden under his chest scales, burn with sympathy and understanding. Whatever else he was going to say was put aside when a cool breeze flowed over them, making Rachel shiver and try to rub warmth into her arms. "If I go back to camp, will you come with me?"

"Yeah. I really didn't think ahead, running off without my cloak," she answered with a wry quirk to her lips as she backed away to give him room to rise to his feet.

"It isn't as if you didn't have a good reason for wanting to escape." Draco cast a quick look around them, then up at the stars, in order to figure out where they were. "Alright. It isn't far. Up you get." When she hesitated, he smiled and gently nudged her in the back with his left wingclaw. "I promise, no aerobatics. We'll be walking this time."

Rachel eyed him curiously, then shrugged and, when he crouched low, climbed up to sit at the base of his neck. He radiated warmth, and she eagerly pressed her chilled hands against the scales on his neck as he straightened and took a few experimental steps, letting her get used to his gait before heading into the forest. "I'm betting you don't let just anyone do this."

"No." Draco ducked a low hanging branch, used a wing to protect Rachel from it, then continued. "It's a sign of trust. I've only let one other onto my back."

"That woman you told me about. Your friend."

"Aislinn, yes. But even then, it was only once." A chuckle rumbled out of him. "And never flying. I thought you'd leave nailmarks in my scales at one point."

She blushed. "Sorry. But doing aerobatics with a first time flyer is not a good idea. I was just trying to hold on. Though, you should be glad it wasn't Erica. She would have been screaming the entire time. And she can screech like nothing you've ever heard. Damn girl's got lungs like a banshee."

"We'll have to hope she and Kara get along then."

"Oh Gods, I hadn't thought of that," Rachel gasped, horrified. "I reserve the right to beg you to get me away from them if they don't."

He laughed. "Of course."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Rachel decided to voice her thoughts. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

Rachel nibbled on her lower lip. "Is it alright if I tell Erica what you told me? If it isn't, that's okay. It's just, we try not to keep secrets from each other, and, honestly, 'Rica's been worried about you. She's a medium, that makes her more sensitive to the moods of the people around her. But, she isn't one to come right out and pry into other people's problems."

"You didn't pry," he assured her as he thought about her request. "No. I actually don't mind in the least. All I ask, is that you swear not to let Kara or Bowen know. I'm the one who must reveal everything to Bowen. I've been waiting for the right moment, but the time isn't right yet."

"Promise given, and I can vouch for 'Rica. Besides, it's not my secret to tell."

The last part made Draco smile and arch his left wing forward to gently brush his wingclaw over her back. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"_There_ you are!"

Rachel startled at the worried greeting, leaning to the right to peer past Draco's neck at Erica, who was silhouetted against the light from the campfire.

"Where the hell were you?" Erica demanded as Draco loosed an amused chuckle and ambled past her, moving to settle down on the opposite side of the fire. "It's been almost three hours! If I didn't know that Draco would be able to find you, I'd have woven a tracking spell!"

The other teen shrugged as she slid from the dragon's back, throwing an arm out to brace herself against his shoulder when she momentarily lost her balance. "I needed some time away," Rachel told her while she let her gaze dart across the camp. "What'd you do with Bowen and Kara?"

"Bowen's over there, he's been asleep since you left. Kara kept nattering on about a rebellion or something, so I knocked her out with a low-grade sleep spell about fifteen minutes ago." Erica pointed to the two people in question as she spoke, then turned her attention onto Draco as the dragon stretched out and slumped onto his side, resting his head on his forelegs. "I hope you don't mind, Rache, I let her use your cloak."

Rache groaned. "Dammit, 'Rica. Did you give away my blanket too?"

"Of course not. If I did, I'd have to listen to you bitch all night."

Draco chuckled at the teasing tone to Erica's voice. "You'd only put up with it long enough to knock her out with a sleep spell."

'Rica grinned and shook her head. "Oh, I'm not that brave. She's better at spellcasting than I am. She'd just reflect it back onto _me_."

"Damn right I would." Shivering, Rachel slung the thin blanket around her, grateful for the protection from the cool night air. She'd gotten used to the warmth Draco radiated, and now that she was away from him, the cold seemed so much sharper. "And that's if you could actually _hit me_. Your aim sucks."

"It does _not!_" Erica planted her hands on her hips, glaring at her friend before smirking. "Besides, you shouldn't talk. Or do I need to bring up some of those 'trial and error' spellcasting lessons?"

The other teen blushed crimson. "Don't you dare!"

Erica grinned and sent a conspirational look over at Draco, who was quite obviously trying to hide his mirth at the entire conversation. "She blew up a barn."

Rachel sputtered. "Draco, don't listen to her. She lies!"

Laughing, Erica danced out of Rachel's grasp when the other teen lunged at her, continuing to speak as if she hadn't been interupted. "Hay went flying _everywhere._ And it only got worse when everything caught fire. Rache got her eyebrows burnt off by the backdraft."

"Oh, that's _it!_"

Draco burst out laughing as Rachel tossed her blanket to the side and tackled Erica to the ground, the two teens wrestling for a moment. They seemed to be evenly matched, or at least they were, until Rachel snagged a wayward water pouch, flipped Erica onto her back, and threatened to upend the full flask into her face.

Erica tried to wriggle free, grunting when Rachel firmly, but gently, dug a knee into her ribs. "You wouldn't!"

"It's like you don't know me at all," the other teen drawled, dramatically uncorking the bag and letting it drip onto Erica's face.

"Ack! Pfft! Alright, alright! I give up!"

"And?" Rachel coaxed.

Erica paused, then decided that getting wet was worth it. "And I'm really sorry your eyebrows didn't grow back evenly." And promptly had the flask's entire contents emptied on her. "Gah! That's cold!"

"Good! And, you! Stop laughing!" Rachel flicked wet fingers in Draco's direction, then grunted when Erica bucked her hips and threw her aside. Reflex had her rolling into a crouch, eyeing Erica with a smirk as her friend sat up and wiped water from her face.

"Will the lot of you _shut up?_"

Three heads jerked in the direction of Bowen's irritated voice, and Draco was about to apologise for waking him when a ball of light arched over the campfire and struck the Knight. The man's eyes widened comicly for a second before he went limp and flopped face down onto his blanket, snoring loudly.

When the dragon gave her an accusing look, Rachel shrugged. "I like him better when he doesn't talk."

"Seconded," Erica chirped. "Two against one. Sorry, Draco, you've been outvoted."

"Democracy at it's finest." Yawning, Rachel stood and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back a little. "Mm. I'm going to bed. Where the hell did I throw that blanket?"

"Here." Draco reached out to hook the blanket with a talon, frowning as he held it up for her to retrieve. He hadn't realised how thin it was. "You and Erica can sleep by me again, if you wish."

The two teens exchanged glances. "You're sure?" Erica asked. "I mean, we don't want to intrude or anything."

He snorted. "Don't be silly. I don't mind in the slightest. Come, gather your blankets and get comfortable." Permission given, the two girls quickly arranged themselves next to him, Erica nestled between his right shoulder and wing, and Rachel - once he had coralled her and gently coaxed her to lie down - curled up in the crook of his left foreleg. _It's selfish of me to ask her to sleep so close to me. But, it just feels like the right thing to do._

"Wow. Pampered much?" Erica teased. "And you're blushing again!"

Rachel _glared_ at her friend as Draco chuckled softly and lay his head on his right foreleg, most of his neck resting against her legs as he settled himself down for the night. "Shaddup and go to _sleep_, 'Rica."

There was a pause. Then. "Bitch."

"Nag."

tbc...

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><p>AN - I'm so sorry that this is so late! Between drug-resistant bronchitis and the resulting pneumonia, visiting family, and laziness on my part (because not being able to breathe bites), and just general blah-ness, I actually didn't touch my computer for over three weeks. Yikes. So, if you're still out there, I'm sorry, and I'll try to get back on schedule.


	10. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue. _

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><p>For the first time in several days, Draco found himself waking under his own power. Confused - Bowen was usually up with the sun - he cracked an eye open and bleerily surveyed the still silent camp, quirking a browridge when he saw that both Bowen and Kara were still sleeping deeply. It was well past sunrise, why wasn't the Knight up and puttering around the camp?<p>

Beginning to suspect a certain teenager's involvement, he rose his head and turned to look at Rachel, blinking when he realised that she was no longer curled up in the crook of his left foreleg. Wariness had him sweeping his gaze across the camp, worry beginning to take hold, until the sound of low talking drew his attention. He swung his head to the side, looking in the direction of his right haunch as he rose his wing to peer under it, frowning when he saw Rachel and Erica huddled together, whispering to each other.

The look Erica gave him when the two teens realised he was awake was more than enough to clue him into what their topic was about. There was sympathy and worry in her eyes, but no pity, and for that, he was thankful. He didn't want to be pityed.

Rachel, meanwhile, met his gaze in concern. "Did we wake you?"

"No, my dear. You didn't." Draco rearranged himself, slumping in the opposite direction so the two girls were in the lee of his curled body. It made it easier to meet their gazes as he spoke. "How long have you two been awake?"

"Not long," Erica answered with a shrug. "Half an hour, maybe?"

"Ah." A smile tugged at his lips as he gestured to the two sleeping forms across the cold campfire. "And whom do I thank for Bowen actually sleeping in for a change?"

Rachel rose her hand. "It was the safest way I could think of to fill 'Rica in on what you told me last night without risking that one of them would overhear or evesdrop on the conversation. I've got tight control over the spell, so neither of them will wake up until _I_ that decide they can."

Draco gave a rumble of gratitude, touched by the lengths she had gone through to ensure that his secret _remained_ secret. "Thank you, Rachel. I do appreciate it."

"I'm sure, Rache, said this already," Erica spoke up, reaching out to lightly touch the dragon's tail. "But, I am _so_ sorry that you've had to live with this for so long. Aislinn put you in a rotten position - not that I don't understand what she did and why. If it was my kid that was dying in front of my eyes, I'd do everything within my power to save them too. But, I wouldn't be so quick to force a friend into such a difficult choice." Her blue eyes turned icy as she glared at nothing in particular and angrily slapped a hand onto the ground. "Hell, I wouldn't have done it _at all_ if I knew their very _soul_ was at stake! Oh, if I ever see her, I'm going to slap her _so hard!_ Stupid woman calls herself your friend and then she does something like that..."

He stared, gaping at her, stunned at the venemence in her tone as she snarled something incomprehensible under her breath. _And here I thought that she was the gentler of the two!_

Rachel, completely used to Erica's rare bouts of temper, merely leaned back on her hands and gave Draco a wry smirk. "Have I forgotten to mention that Erica can get rather protective of the ones she considers her friends?" When he gave her a shocked look, she let her smirk grow into a full-fledged grin. "You should pity, Aislinn. Seriously. She has _nooo_ idea of the lecture she's gonna get if Erica ever meets her. Isn't that right, 'Rica?"

"Oh my God, she does _not!_ Brainless, idiotic, little twit! Argh!" Growling, Erica's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she curled her hands into claws, fingers twitching as if she wanted to strangle something - or someone. Then, with an infuritated mutter, she shoved a hand through her short red hair, and lunged to her feet. "I need to clean something!"

Stunned speechless, Draco could only watch as she stomped over to pick through the supplies that were strewn around the camp, muttering under her breath as she sorted things into piles. Soft laughter drew his gaze to Rachel, who was eyeing the other teen gleefully. "You knew this would happen."

"Yup." She grinned and sent a fond look over at her friend. "Everyone assumes that she's all snark and no real threat. As harmless as a kitten. And she can be, at least until something, or someone, pisses her off. Then they find out that little kitten is a mountain lion in disguise. It's the reason why, when she gets a certain look in her eyes, that I do whatever the hell she tells me to. Because I _do not_ want to be on the recieving end of her temper."

"So I see," the dragon mused as Erica came upon Bowen's sheild adorned with the dragon talons he had taken as trophies. The absurdity of the situation hit him seconds later, when she flipped the shield onto it's front and proceeded to angrily stomp it into the ground, embedding the talons deep into the dirt. "Bowen's going to have a fit," he chortled, using a claw to muffle his laughter lest Erica think he was laughing at her.

"Let 'im," Rache advised as Erica-the-whirlwind continued to assault the camp site, muttering under her breath as she tidied up Bowen's things. "It'll be fun to watch."

"Well, it has been a while since I've indulged myself," Draco quipped, propping his chin up on his right claw as he watched Erica's progress. "Breakfast with a show. I wonder, though, do we have to pay Bowen an actors fee?"

"Only if he asks."

"Which he won't."

"Exactly."

Their banter was cut off when Erica reached into a sachel, then loosed an infuriated cry and waved the bag in their direction. "I can't believe this! We are _out of food!_ How can we be out of _food?_ Did no one realise this last night?"

Rachel shrugged. "Just raid Bowen's supplies."

"These _are_ his supplies! There's half a loaf of moldy bread and something that might have once been cheese, but is now only days away from mutating into some new sort of lifeform!" Erica visibly shuddered and made a grand show of leaning over to wipe her left hand on a still-sleeping Bowen's tunic. "By the way, I'm thinking of setting my hand on fire, because touching cheese that's furry and goes 'squish' is disgusting, and I think I felt it move."

Draco made a face. "Yech."

"Gross." Groaning, Rachel got to her feet and brushed dirt and leaves off of her clothes. "Alright. Give me a second to wake Grumpy and Kara, and then, crazy-lady, we can put that anger of yours to good use and hunt down breakfast."

Draco's mirth died under a wave of concern. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said, drawing both teen's gazes. "Einon would have sent bounty hunters after us as soon as he returned to the castle. It could be dangerous for the two of you to wander off on your own."

"We won't go far," Rachel assured him. "And we'll be sure to send out some sort of signal if we do get into trouble."

Realising that neither teen was going to listen to reason, he sighed and relented. "What will the signal be?"

"Whatever's the easiest to manage at the time," Erica drawled as Rachel went to break the sleep gias on Bowen and Kara. "Probably enough screaming and swearing to deafen a small village, you know, the basics."

"Lovely," Draco deadpanned with a shake of his head.

A low groan from the opposite side of the cold fire drew both their gazes. "Ughhh. What _time_ is it?" Bowen asked, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he peered up at the sun. "Oh, hell, we overslept."

"No, _you_ overslept," Rachel corrected him cheerfully. There was no way that she was going to tell him that she'd spelled him into oversleeping. "We decided to let you snore in peace for as long as we could stand the sound. But now, 'Rica and I are going in search of breakfast; so if _we_ have to do some work, so do _you._ By the way, the food - and I use that term loosely - in your sachel is several varitions of 'gross'. I was going to suggest that you burn it, but I'm worried the resulting smoke might prove toxic to the local wildlife."

Bowen frowned up at her, then sighed and gingerly massaged his aching right shoulder. At least Draco had finally returned. Not that he would admit to it, but he'd been worried when the dragon had flown off the night before. A sleepy murmur to his left drew his gaze to Kara as the woman slowly sat up and ran a hand through her mane of hair, bleerily looking around.

Erica, meanwhile, glanced at the paltry dagger she had, then went and snatched up Bowen's archery set, swinging the quiver of arrows onto one shoulder and meeting his gaze when he tried to yank the bow out of her hands. "It isn't as if you can use this with your shoulder the way it is," she pointed out. "I'll bring it back in one piece."

"You'd better," he growled.

"You shouldn't look at people like that," Rachel called back to the Knight as she and Erica headed into the forest. "One day your face will stay that way."

_There's a frightening thought, _Draco mused, barely managing to hide his mirth. Unfortunately, his good mood didn't last long. After Kara had taken care of her needs and tended to the fire, building it back up into a roaring flame, she once again turned her attention onto Bowen. _She still has her heart set on a rebellion. And, of course, Bowen is still smarting from his fight with Einon. More than his shoulder was wounded in that battle. Hm. Should I wait until his spirit heals from the blows, or can I risk revealing myself to him while he's still unsettled? Oh, this has become far more complicated than I expected. This isn't a simple charade anymore._

He sighed and looked away from the two humans, wincing at Bowen's sharp remarks about how Kara would only succeed in getting herself hanged if she tried once again to rouse her village into rebelling. They'd offered her as a sacrifice to a dragon, after all. There was little love there. _As if any dragon would actually __**eat**__ a human. Bleh. Bad enough I had to get the taste of Sir Elgamore in my mouth, I'd hate to think what trying to digest him would have done to my stomach._

Finally, after listening to Bowen and Kara bicker for another few minutes, Draco rose to his feet and spread his wings, stretching a little in order to limber himself up. "I'm off to find my own breakfast," he announced. "Shall I bring something back for you or will you be happy with whatever Rachel and Erica find?"

After Bowen grumbled something supiciously like 'I'll eat whatever the brats find', and Kara politely thanked him for thinking of them, but declined his offer, Draco shrugged and walked to the edge of the cliff.

"I won't be long!" he said in parting as he launched himself into the air, wings snapping open for the cruicial downbeat before he soared over the forests that lay below, keen eyes searching for the telltale sign of prey.

"I think we drove him away," Kara murmured, slightly chastised by the thought that she and Bowen had made Draco uncomfortable.

"Well if you'd stop nattering on about trying to raise a hopeless rebellion, perhaps people wouldn't mind being in your company!"

"And, if you'd stop being so pig-headed _Sir_ Knight, maybe your company wouldn't be so torturous either!"

* * *

><p>"Think they've started to bitch yet?" Erica asked. They couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes away from the camp, but the thick forest and lush undergrowth muffled any chance of being able to hear the ones they had left behind.<p>

"Probably. They'll probably _still_ be at it when we get back."

"Ugh."

"I know. They're like an old, demented, married couple." Rachel ducked under a low branch as she led the way, following what seemed to be a deer trail. And she did her damnedest to keep from laughing when Erica got the quiver of arrows she carried caught on a shrub. "Poor, Draco. We shouldn't have left him back there."

"He's a big dragon, Rache, he can take care of himself."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, look! Raspberries."

"Score! Outta the way elf-girl!"

Rachel shot her friend a weird look as the other teen ran past her. The friendly barb let her know that the other teen wasn't the least bothered by her odd heritage. "'Elf-girl'? Boy, are you treading on thin ice." Smirking at the sheepish look on Erica's face, she casually headed over to the berry laden bushes and plucked a couple of the red fruits. "You do realise that this is not breakfast."

"It's enough to keep me going until we _find _breakfast," Erica mumbled in between mouthfuls as she grabbed another handful of berries.

"Well, I think we've just found our breakfast. What do you say, boys?"

The two teens spun around at the strange male voice, their eyes widening as they watched five armed men dismount their horses. Eyes narrowing, Rachel side-stepped to stand in front of Erica, her gaze following the men's movements as they spread out to partially surround them. _Well, shit. I should have listened to Draco._ She really didn't like the rather disturbing grins they exchanged with each other. _Definitely should have listened to Draco._

The fifth man gave them a nasty smile before glancing at his peers. "One redhead and one hazel-eyed girl. Just what King Einon sent us out to find."

"Pity," the second drawled. "I wanted to collect the reward for that old Knight and the dragon. What do you say, wench? If you lead us back to your camp, we'll promise not to hurt you. We'll even make sure that you _enjoy it._"

Rachel smirked, adrenaline starting to rush. "Well, 'Rica? Thoughts?"

"You take the ugly ones on the right, I'll take the ugly ones on the left," Erica replied, clenching her jaw when the four men burst out laughing.

"You two little birds think you're going to beat _us?_" the apparant leader of the group laughed, leering at them. "Five armed men against two slips of girls? Would you like me to bend down so you can try to punch me?"

"No need." Rachel lunged, her right hand shooting out. The heel of her hand hit the leader in the face, the loud 'crunch' of his breaking nose overpowered by his howl of pain. Not wasting a moment, she ducked his badly aimed back-hand, spun on the ball of her foot, and landed a savage roundhouse kick to the side of his right knee. He went down screaming, blood pouring down his face as he clutched his dislocated knee and then alternated between cursing at her and roaring at his peers to attack.

What the bounty hunters didn't know, was that the two teens had been in other situations that closely resembled the one they were currently in, and that they had _planned_ and _practiced_ in case such a thing ever happened again. Rachel, the more physical of the two, would keep the fight up close and personal, while Erica, who wasn't very coordinated when it came to fighting, would inflict magickal damage from a distance and watch Rachel's back.

Rachel stayed on the offensive, ducking and weaving around her opponents, deflecting hits and returning them. One tried to kick her legs out from under her, she whirled away and used the momentum to backhand the third man, then lashed out and slammed her foot into the first's stomach. Another swung a sword at her neck, only to be tripped by the tree roots that rose from the ground and curled around his legs, the vines guided by Erica's magicks. He crashed onto his side, trying to hack at the roots with his blade in an effort to get free, that was, unfortunately, cut short when Rachel kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Erica was privately amazed at herself. She was flinging spells left and right, with an efficiancy that she hadn't had six months prior. Even though she was only using low-grade spells, her speed had certainly improved. It was effortless to keep up with Rachel, weaving one spell to make more tree roots trip one man, a second spell kinetically picking another man up and throwing him twenty feet through the air, while a third lifted up a nearby boulder and launched it at the hunter that was trying to gore Rachel.

Hazel eyes hardened into cold mica as Rachel snatched up a fallen sword and parried a thrusted blade that would have sliced open her throat. There were only three men left, but they had become wary of her and Erica, finally treating them as a threat and not some waifs. They came at her together, forcing her to use her dagger to defend her side from the third man while she dealt with the firsts' attack. But she was distracted, and didn't see the lead hunter use a tree to pull himself to his feet. Didn't see him laboriously limp his way around her and tackle Erica to the ground.

Only realised that they were both in trouble when Erica screamed, her cry cut off when the man that held her clamped a hand over her mouth and nestled a dagger against her throat.

"'Rica!" A blade sliced into her left arm, from the inside of her elbow and around to the top of her wrist. Blood flowed, the sudden pain making her drop her dagger. Rachel whirled, using her sword to force her three opponents to back away, trying to buy herself a few, precious, seconds. Another pained cry from Erica drew her panicked gaze, the sight of the lead hunter's left arm wrapped around her friend's neck while his right hand nestled a blade to her jugular making something in her snap. The anger and rage that she usually kept hidden and locked away brust free, igniting her temper and making it feel as if her blood was on fire.

Her anger gave her strength, fueling her magicks, and she took immediate advantage. Teeth bared, eyes narrowed, Rachel thrust her left fist into the air and shouted one, harsh, word, _pulling_ energy from the sky at the same time that she poured as much of her own will behind the spell.

The clear blue sky was split apart by a massive bolt of lightning. It tore a path across the sky, arcing down to strike the ground in front of her, setting some of the underbrush alite. Fingers of electricity split from the main arc, sizzling the very air before hitting her three opponents in the chest and sending them flying backwards, a final pulse frying every nerve in their bodies and stopping their hearts.

Small wisps of smoke rose from her shoulders as she panted from the exertion of controlling such a huge amount of energy. But Rachel shoved that exhaustion aside as she turned to look at the last hunter standing. Whatever expression she had on her face made him pale, the hand that held the knife to Erica's throat quivering. The redheaded teen took advantage, sinking her teeth into the leader's hand and driving her right elbow into his stomach, ripping herself out of his hold. Then, just like Rachel had taught her, Erica grabbed his partially extended arm, spun into his body, and tossed him over her shoulder.

Smirking, Rachel staggered over and rested the point of her sword against his adam's apple. "You just got your asses kicked by two girls," she drawled, grinning at his infuritated glare. "And now, we _are_ going to bring you to our camp. Where you'll answer every question our friends ask of you. But, until then..." She kicked him in his dislocated knee, his howl of pain making her wince before the a second kick to the head knocked him unconscious.

Pandemonium instantly broke out as Rachel and Erica started to talk at the same moment.

"Are you okay?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Why the hell is your skin _smoking?_"

"That bastard gave you a black eye!"

"Holy shit, your _arm!_"

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop poking at it! That _hurts!_"

"I can see _bone! _Hold still! I need to get a tourniquet on you!"

"_OW!_ 'Rica!"

"Oh Gods, there's blood _everywhere!_ Is it all yours?"

"Um... maybe?"

The glare that Erica leveled at her would have made the lead bounty hunter, had he still been conscious, wet his pants. "_Maybe?_"

"It's not like I was keeping track!"

"So, basically, you were already in danger of _bleeding to death_ when you called that lightning bolt? You _idiot!_"

"Ow! Stop that!"

"Do you even have enough energy left to Heal yourself?"

"Uhhh..."

"_Idiot!_"

"_Ow!_"

"By the Stars! What _happened?_"

Erica and Rachel blinked at each other, then, when it clicked in that neither of them had spoken, rose their gazes to the sky, where a dragon was hovering above the treetops, orange-gold eyes wide in shock.

"Turns out you were right about those bounty hunters," Rachel said by way of greeting, wincing when he frowned at her. She and Erica were forced to scramble for cover when Draco folded his wings and dove through the hole in the canopy that had been created when she had called the lightning to her, the dragon landing heavily amongst the dead and unconscious bodies of the hunters.

Erica, meanwhile, had torn a strip of cloth from her cloak, and was wrapping it tightly around Rachel's left arm, a soft curse leaving her when the makeshift bandage quickly turned red. "Shit. Draco, could you make sure idiot here doesn't move around? I need to go rifle through the hunter's supplies for real bandages."

"I'll be fine until we get back to-" Rachel trailed off at the glare Erica gave her, then edged towards Draco. "I'll just wait here then."

"Damn right you will."

"Is it me, or is she getting scarier?"

Draco ignored the question and crouched down to look her over, growling at the blood that was already starting to drip from the makeshift bandage. Other than her arm, he was relieved to see that she was realtively unharmed. Just a few bumps and bruises. "What _happened?_" he repeated, looking from Rachel to Erica, who seemed to be alright, other than a black eye.

Rachel sighed tiredly, gesturing to the hunters with the sword she still held in her right hand. "We got ambushed by these five idiots. Luckily, 'Rica and I have gotten into scrapes like this before, so we can handle ourselves in a fight." She paused, and glanced at her arm with a grimace. "Granted, none of those previous times included _swords_."

A low rumble left him as the dragon twisted in the narrow confines of the forest to inspect the bounty hunters, nudging one of the three burnt bodies - complete with melted armor and chainmail - with his tail. "And the lightning?"

"Their leader circled around and got a hold of, Erica," Rachel explained, eyes hardening as she glared at the bodies. "I didn't have time to use finesse."

There was a snort from the teen that was going through all of the saddle bags tied to the five horses. "You _never_ use finesse."

"Oh, shut up. It _worked_, didn't it?"

"You almost _fried_ yourself!"

"I did not!"

"There was _smoke_ rising from your skin!"

"It was _steam!_" Rachel snapped, all too aware of the horrified look that Draco gave her. "The power evaporated my sweat! For Gods sake, I'm not stupid enough to channel a frickin' _lightning bolt_ through my body!"

"Well, I can never tell with you!"

Rachel growled, and started to stalk over to Erica, only her legs buckled under her after the first step. Cursing, she dropped to her hands and knees, gasping for breath when the fall sent a wave of dizziness through her. "...that's not good," she mumbled as she morbidly watched a rivlet of her blood flow down her wrist, across her left hand, and into the soil.

Rumbling with worry, Draco crouched low and offered his right claw to Rachel, who nodded and let him help her to her feet. The sight and scent of her blood smearing across his scales pulled a low growl from him, narrowed eyes darting to the two bounty hunters who were merely unconscious. He usually wasn't one for senseless violence, but after seeing what the men had done to Rachel and Erica, he wasn't in a merciful mood. _They could have been killed! I should have just followed them from the air! Stupid dragon! You should never ignore your instincts!_

He felt Rachel grasp at his wrist and automatically tightened his taloned fingers around her, ducking his head to gently nudge her shoulder. "Stay awake," he coaxed, angling a wing to lightly fan air over her. "Stay awake, little dreamer."

The nickname pulled a weak smile from her. "M'mom used t'call me tha..."

"Blast!" Whatever calm he had managed to obtain vanished when her eyes rolled back into her head, her body going limp in his grasp. "Erica! She's passed out!"

* * *

><p>"What's taking them so long?" Bowen frowned, alternating between glaring at the forest or glowering up into the sky, hoping to spot either the two teens, or the wayward dragon. He had a horrible feeling that something had gone terribly wrong, and not knowing whether or not his hunch was right was driving him crazy. Kara, at least, seemed to get quieter the more concerned she became, which was a relief, because he wasn't sure he could put up with her nattering as well as his growing worry.<p>

So, he paced, rubbing at his aching shoulder as he did so. He'd managed to make a nice path that circled the camp, and was working on making the trail a permanent part of the forest when the sound of wingbeats jerked him out of his thoughts.

Bowen jogged to the edge of the cliff, then quickly backpeddled when Draco came in hard and fast, the dragon clutching something in his claws. And even though he found the two teens to be massive pains in the neck, the Knight felt concern rise in him when he realised that the thing that Draco held was actually the unconscious body of the auburn-haired girl.

The moment Draco was on the ground, Bowen was by his side. "What _happened?_ Good Lord, her arm! Kara! Fetch the bandages and stitching kit from my saddlebags!"

"It was bounty hunters," the dragon explained as he gently lay Rachel on the ground, wings mantling with distress as he fought the urge to hiss at Bowen when the man knelt next to her. "Five men ambushed them. Rachel and Erica won the fight, but Rachel took a deep sword slash to her arm. Erica isn't far away. She has the five horses belonging to the hunters, and the two surviving men as prisoners."

Despite the situation, Bowen couldn't help but gape at the dragon in shock. "Two _surviving_ men? You mean those two girls _bested_ five armed men?"

Draco nodded. "They killed three, and knocked the last two unconscious. The girls thought that we could make use of whatever information we could coerce from the last two."

A bark of laughter left the Knight. "Well, damn. I can't call them 'brats' anymore, now can I?" Shaking his head in wonder, Bowen knelt next to Rachel and carefully peeled the blood soaked material off her left arm, wincing in sympathy at the deep gash and the fresh blood that still flowed from it. "Dammit. The sword knicked an artery. Draco, _move_, you're in my light!"

"Here!" Kara dropped to her knees and slid the last three feet to Bowen's side, pushing the bandages she had found into his hands. "It's all I could find. Tell me what to do, I'll help."

Draco's foreclaws dug deep into the ground as he watched Bowen instruct Kara to reach into the wound and pinch a large vein shut, his tail lashing when the unconscious Rachel moaned with pain. He was so wound up that the sound of hoofbeats pulled a roar from him, wings spreading as he moved to crouch over the three people at his feet.

"Holy shit!" The horse that Erica was riding screamed in fear when it spotted the angry dragon, and she clung to both the horse and the reins as the animal tried to buck her off and make a run for it. Only the lessons she had recieved let her hang on and pull the horse back under control, glad that the other four horses that were tethered to her saddle hadn't joined her horse in freaking out. "Draco! For Gods sake, it's me!"

A gasp left him as he straightened out of his protective crouch. "Erica! Drat! I didn't mean-"

The redhead waved his apology aside and jumped to the ground, a black sachel in her arms. "Just keep an eye on them!" she said as she darted past him, pointing to the two bounty hunters who were seated on their horses, their hands securely tied to their saddles. "I had to spell the leader asleep, he woke up on the way here! Bowen, I have their medical supplies!"

While the dragon angled his bulk so he could keep an eye on the bound hunters as well as his companions, Bowen quickly looked through what Erica had brought, glanced back at Rachel's arm, then frowned. "The wound's too deep for me to stitch."

"Can't we just wrap the bandages tightly around her arm and force the gash shut?" Kara asked, trying not to think about the fact that she had her fingers buried to the second knuckle in Rachel's arm.

"Too risky. If we cut off the blood flow, she'll lose the arm for sure."

Erica paused, eyeing the deep slash mark. "If I can Heal the worst of it, can you stitch it?"

Both Bowen and Kara rose their gazes to the teen. "You can Heal like she can?" Bowen asked.

"A little, yes. I'm not as skilled as Rache is, though. Honestly, I've never been able to Heal a person." She ignored the doubtful look that Bowen gave her. "I usually only work on birds. But it's _Rache_, and I'm willing to try. That's why I need to know how much I'd need to fix before it'd be possible for you to tend the rest."

Bowen scowled down at the wound. "If you could halve the depth, and mend that sliced artery, I think I could handle the rest."

"I'll stitch it," Kara offered, shrugging when both Erica and the Knight looked at her. "I used to be a student to the Healer in my village. Besides, Rachel may wake while I work, and I'm not strong enough to hold her still if she struggles."

Erica nodded, and moved to kneel across from Kara and Bowen, frowning down at Rachel and gently resting a hand on her friend's forehead. _I've never Healed a person before. But Rache could lose her arm, or worse, bleed to death! I have to try. Even if I can only partially Heal it, it's better than nothing! Oh, Gods, __**please**__, give me the strength to do this!_

"Erica."

Wide blue eyes turned to look at the dragon that was watching them closely. "Yes?"

"You can do this. Think of Rachel's arm as a wing, like the birds you've Healed." Draco extended his right wing and pointed to each part as he spoke. "The 'fingers' of the most flexible part of the wing, the 'wrist' that connects them to the 'elbow' of the main wing joint, then the 'upper arm' and shoulder. It is, at it's most basic, the same."

Buoyed by the dragon's explaination, Erica nodded and returned her attention to the task ahead of her. "Alright. Bowen, can you flush the gash clean with water? I don't want to risk any dirt getting trapped in the wound." While he quickly poured an entire pouch of water onto Rachel's arm, Erica turned her attention to Kara, whose green eyes were worried, but determined. "Kara, when I say, I need you to move your hand. Then use some of those bandages to dab up the worst of the blood so I can see what I'm doing. Okay?"

When both of them nodded, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was easy for her to centre and ground herself; meditation came naturally to her. Her breathing deepened and slowed as she reached for the energy deep within her, carefully coaxing it to the surface and gently wrapping her will around it. Only when Erica was certain that she had woven the power into what she needed did she open her eyes and nod at Kara.

The moment the woman released the artery she had been holding shut, blood welled and filled the gash, obscuring everything. Brief glimpses in between Kara's quick movements with the bandages gave Erica a good enough idea of what she needed to do. The energy she had gathered together pulsed as she lay her hands over Rachel's wounded arm. Unbidden, her empathy took on the pain of the wound as if it was her own, and she bit her lower lip as she struggled to seperate Rachel's pain from her psyche.

Once she had cleared her thoughts, it was easy enough to send precise bursts of Healing energy into Rachel's arm. Erica could almost _see_ what she needed to do in her mind's eye. She drove Rachel's body to create blood clots where small veins had been cut and damaged, coaxed the two opened ends of the main artery to reunite, then strengthened the vein's walls. Smaller, more precise, clots helped to close tiny, ragged, tears. Muscles were reattached to tendons and bone, repaired veins flooding the damaged flesh with oxygen-rich nutrients and white blood cells.

Slowly, painstakingly, she knit flesh and muscle and tendon back together. Boosted Rachel's immune system into beginning to cover still exposed flesh under protective scabs, and burned away impurities left behind by the bounty hunter's filthy sword.

Finally, exhausted, shaking, and drenched with sweat, Erica lifted her trembling hands from Rachel's arm. She had to blink half a dozen times until her eyes focused, and when she finally saw her handiwork, she couldn't help but smile. The deep, ugly, wound was no more. The flesh had knitted cleanly, and while Erica hadn't been able to fully Heal the horrible gash, the two centimetre deep cut that had replaced it was quite possibly the greatest thing she had ever seen. Blood had ceased to flow, bone and tendon once again hidden and kept safe by muscle and flesh.

"...I did it," she whispered, exchanging grins with Bowen and Kara as she sat back on her heels and brushed sweat off her forehead, unknowingly leaving a streak of Rachel's blood across her brow. "I did it!"

"Was there any doubt?" Draco replied, smiling at Erica when she looked at him over her shoulder. "Your power is different than Rachel's. The trouble may lie in the way you try to use your magicks. What works for Rachel may not work for you."

She blinked, and looked back at her friend. "I honestly never thought of it that way," she murmured, watching as Bowen flushed the wound with more water while Kara threaded a fire-cleaned needle with specially harvested sinew meant to sew flesh together. "I can help with that."

"You've done more than enough," Kara told her with a smile. "Besides, your hands are shaking."

"Oh. Yeah, that's probably not good."

Draco frowned at how pale she was and carefully moved to lie next to her, so she could rest against him. "Lean against me. Hush, now, it's alright," he coaxed, rumbling softly when Erica sighed and tiredly slumped against his right foreleg, resting her head on her arms.

"Y'know what sucks?" Erica mumbled as she fought to keep her eyes open, energy drained and mind exhausted from directing so much power. Her attempts at staying awake were promptly sabotaged by Draco, who made a noise somewhat like a purr as Bowen draped his cloak over her, cocooning her in warmth. "All this drama, an we didn' even get _breakfast_ outta it."

tbc...

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><p>AN - Review comments!

Chris Atola - Another fan from long ago pops up! *grins* Glad you like the revised edition.

keacdragon - I'm honoured that you like this fic so much! *blushes*

SerpentOfMoe - I know. That was something that always made me wonder. Even in the book, Draco only gives one or two hints of the grief and sadness he carries. You can hide it, pretend that you're not carrying some demons - personal experience - but every now and again, that wall breaks, and you have to ride out the emotions before you're able to put that wall back up.


	11. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue._

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><p>Rachel woke up to shouting and growling, the sensation of a cool cloth on her face, and a hellish pain in her left arm. Feeling weak and dizzy, she spent a few moments debating whether or not she even <em>wanted <em>to be awake, before her curiousity took control. Wincing, she gathered up what stubbornness she could, and forced her eyes open.

Only to promptly clench them shut when a ray of sunlight seared her corneas. _Oh, bloody hell. 'Rica was right, the sun __**does**__need a dimmer switch._ Groaning with the effort, she rose her right hand - she sensed that trying to move her left arm was a bad idea - and pawed at the cloth on her forehead.

There was movement to her left. "Rachel?"

She cracked an eye open and peered past the edge of the wet compress, frowning up at Draco. "Th' hells with all th' yellin'?"

The dragon's worried expression instantly morphed into delight. "Bowen! Kara! Rachel's awake!"

"I wouldn't call this 'awake'," she muttered, as the yelling stopped and the sound of rapid footsteps headed her way.

Grimacing at the effort, Rachel got both of her eyes to open, then weakly rose her left arm into her line of sight. Thick bandages covered it from mid-upper arm to wrist, the sensation of something pulling at her skin telling her that a line of stitches was hidden beneath the dressings. She supposed that it was a good thing that she hadn't been awake for that; she had a suspicion that mideval anesthetic was along the lines of bludgeoning someone unconscious.

"Easy now," Draco cautioned as Bowen and Kara moved to crouch next to the teen. "You'll undo all of Kara's hard work."

"How do you feel?" That was from Bowen.

"I don't think I know enough swear words to properly answer that question. Will you settle for, 'ow'?"

The Knight barked a laugh. "She'll live," he told Kara and Draco, before meeting Rachel's drowsy hazel gaze. "Can you sit up?"

"Do I have to?"

Kara smiled and lifted the wet cloth from the teen's forehead, lightly brushing auburn bangs out of the girl's eyes. "You lost a lot of blood. You need to eat and drink something to start regaining your strength."

Rachel frowned up at them, before her brain clued in to who was missing. "Where's 'Rica?"

"Here," Draco rumbled, meeting her gaze when she turned her head to look at him, then at the other teen that was curled up against him. "She drained herself trying to Heal you. And before you get angry, she managed to mend almost three-quarters of the damage to your arm."

She blinked in surprise, then turned her attention back to Bowen and Kara and rose her right arm. "A little help?"

It took everything she had not to throw up when Bowen tugged her into a sitting position, and if Kara hadn't curled an arm around her shoulders, she would have flopped back onto the ground. The world tilted and spun, making her clench her jaw to keep from throwing up as her body sent conflicting information to her brain. Unable to do anything else, Rachel grit her teeth and rode it out, grateful for Kara's steady hand on her shoulder. Finally, when everything had settled again, she opened her eyes and let out the breath she had been holding.

Bowen frowned at her worriedly, knowing full well what she was going through. Blood loss came with a heavy toll, leaving one lightheaded and prone to fits of dizziness that could topple even the strongest fighter. It was best to get the one afflicted drinking and eating as soon as possible. "Do you think you can stomach some water, or is it too soon?"

"I'll have a little," Rachel murmured, wincing and flexing the fingers of her left hand as Bowen went to retrieve a water flask. The pain in her arm had the added benefit of chasing away the last of the mental cobwebs that muddled her thoughts, leaving her still slightly dizzy, but more coherant. "What was all the yelling about?"

"Them," Kara answered, pointing to the two bounty hunters that Bowen had tied to seperate trees. "They've been refusing to talk. Even Draco's threats haven't been able to loosen their tongues."

Hazel eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that so?" With a pained grunt, and ignoring Kara's worried protests, Rachel stumbled to her feet. Grey spots danced at the edge of her vision as she barely kept from pitching over onto her face, her heartbeat loud in her ears as she stubbornly braced herself and waited for the worst to pass.

When her vision had returned, she sucked in a deep breath, drew herself up, and started for the bound men, nearly falling over again when Draco reached out to close a claw around her.

"Rachel, what do you think you're doing?" He frowned, sent a scowl at the two hunters, then softened his gaze and met the teen's weary eyes, troubled at how pale she was. "You shouldn't be moving around."

A tired smirk tugged at her lips. "I've only got a few minutes before my legs give out. Lemme go talk to 'em. Then, I promise, I won't move for however long you can put up with me."

The dragon shook his head. "They won't speak to us, what makes you think they'll break their silence for you?"

"Because I'm the one who fried three of their buddies with a lightning bolt."

Bowen frowned as he rejoined them, water pouch in hand. "It can't hurt," he said, shrugging when Draco swung his head to glare at him. "What? She's right, and you know it. They're not taking you seriously, not when Erica's all cuddled up to you. I'm not willing to actually torture them, and Kara's isn't the least threatening." He ignored Kara's insulted cry. "Rachel's the only one of us that they can't predict. And, she's a witch, that alone will keep them off balance."

"Three minutes," Rachel coaxed, resting her hands on Draco's knuckles when he tightened his talons around her. "That's all I ask. Just three minutes."

A low growl left the dragon. "Three minutes," he ground out as he released her. Then he rose his voice and _glared_ at the two hunters. "And if either of them so much as twitches in your direction, I'm frying them!"

The teen grinned, then looked at Bowen. "Borrow your sword?" He eyed her curiously, then, reluctantly, drew his blade and handed it to her. "Thanks!"

Sword clenched in her right hand, Rachel stepped away from Draco and headed over to the two tied up bounty hunters. She managed to put a fair amount of anger into her stride, eyes narrowed as she scowled at the first, then the second, prisoner. It was easy to recognise the one she had first attacked, he was glaring at her past his broken nose, his dislocated knee bent at an odd angle as he sat on the ground.

Plan firmly in mind, she put the other hunter to sleep with a spell, then strolled over to the 'leader', smiled at him, and drove the sword into the ground. He loosed a squeal of fear; she had aimed the blade between his legs, the sharp edge having sliced into his trousers and the skin beneath. Still smiling, Rachel moved so her body would block his view of the campsite, then crouched and started to whisper into his ear.

Three minutes later, she was sitting in the protective circle of Draco's forelegs, sipping tepid water from the flask while Kara and Bowen peppered the bounty hunter with questions. Questions that were quickly and precisely answered. Though there was a lot of whimpering and terrified babbling thrown in.

"Do I even want to know what you told him?" Draco warily asked, trying not to laugh when Rachel snickered and shook her head.

It had been the oddest thing he had ever seen. The dragon had watched as Rachel walked over to the bound men, keen eyes easily picking up the slight stagger to her steps. He had watched as she selected a target, put the other man to sleep with a spell, and then winced along with Bowen when she had driven the sword into the ground between the man's legs, both males sending a glare at Kara when she had chuckled. That physical threat might have been enough to break the hunter's silence, but Rachel had persisted, turning her back to them as she leaned down to speak into the prisoner's ear.

She had kept her voice soft, and even with his sharp hearing, Draco had been unable to hear what she said. He, Bowen, and Kara had merely watched as the hunter's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he listened to the teen speak. Then, as the minutes passed, his eyes had widened in first disbelief, then fear, panic, and finally, sheer terror, the whites of his eyes plainly visible around his irises. The man had been fairly gibbering when Rachel had straightened and turned to stagger back towards the dragon, a satisfied smile on her face.

Shaking his head in a sort of baffled wonder, Draco cast a look down at the two teenagers that were once again nestled by him. Erica was still asleep, partially propped up against his right shoulder, and he guessed that she'd sleep for at least another hour, until she recovered from Healing Rachel's arm. The second teen was leaning back into the crook of his left foreleg, yawning tiredly after using the last bit of her strength to change out of her blood-stained shirt and into a pale blue one she had pulled from her saddlebags.

Much to her dismay, neither she or Kara had been unable to stop Bowen from throwing her stained shirt into the campfire, the Knight stating that it was beyond saving, despite the two women's opinion's otherwise.

"Well, at least they're not fighting anymore," Rachel mused as she watched Kara and Bowen question the bounty hunter, slipping a few fingers under the edge of the bandages on her left arm to scratch at her skin.

"Oh, let's not tempt fate," Draco replied, frowning when he saw what she was doing. "Stop that! You'll tear your stitches."

"I'm not scratching anywhere near the stitches. Trust me, I can feel them very well."

A soft trill of concern left him. "How severe is the pain?"

"Bad enough," she admitted, flexing her stiff fingers. "I can handle it, so long as I'm very careful how I move. It's how the rest of me feels that worries me. I hate feeling lightheaded and dizzy all the time."

"You lost a lot of blood. Remind me to go hunting for deer tonight. Eating it's liver will help your body regain it's strength."

"Blegh."

Draco chuckled at the disgusted face she made. "I thought humans liked liver as a delicacy."

"Not _this_ human," she retorted, then corrected herself. "Half-human. Whatever. I reinterate: blegh!"

Laughing now, he ducked his head and lightly brushed his cheek against her left shoulder. "You need the extra nutrients," he rumbled, smiling when she huffed and mock-glared at him. "If we were closer to a lake, I would find you some fish. But, for now, the best I can do is deer liver."

There was a tired groan from the direction of the dragon's right shoulder. "...that's not a bad idea, actually."

"'Rica!" Rachel half-scrambled, half-crawled over to Draco's right foreleg, grinning at the red haired teen. "You crazy bitch! Why didn't you tell me you could Heal people!"

"Cuz I _can't_," Erica yawned, rubbing at her eyes. "Or at least, I _couldn't_. Goddammit, do you always hurt so much after you Heal someone?"

Rachel gave a sheepish smile. "High pain threshold," she said by way of explaination.

"_Damn._" The other teen shook her head, then sat up and turned her gaze onto the dragon who was smiling at them. "Oh, Draco, I fell asleep against you again, didn't I? Sorry about that."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Do you hear me complaining, my dear? It's been a long time since someone has trusted me enough to rest by my side. I find it rather refreshing."

"Don't believe a word he says," Bowen smirked as he walked over to the trio. "The beast just likes having pretty girls fawning over him."

Rachel and Erica snickered at the indignant look Draco gave the Knight, the latter of the two teens reaching out to pat the dragon's shoulder before gingerly getting to her feet. She was glad for the dragon's nearby wing when she nearly fell over, only a quick grasp of Draco's wingclaw keeping her upright. "Ugh. Rache, girl, the next time I complain that Healing should be an easy thing to do, slap me."

"Will do."

Shaking his head at their theatrics, Bowen moved closer to Draco and crouched to talk with Rachel. "Whatever you said to that bounty hunter must have been good. He gave us a fairly detailed description of where he and a few other hunting parties are looking for us. There's a rather impressive reward on both Draco's head, and my own. You and Kara however, are to be captured and brought directly to Einon."

"Fat bloody chance of that," she growled, eyes narrowing.

"Even with Rache out of commission-"

"I am _not!_"

Erica continued as if the other teen hadn't interupted. "I think our little group would still manage to hold our own in an attack. I'm _exhasusted_, but I can still manage some magicks."

Bowen nodded. "And a moving target is much harder to hit," he added, casting a look to Draco as he pulled a map from his belt and unrolled it. "Which is why we're riding out as soon as possible. We need to get out of the area, far away from the search parties, which are looking here, and here. That leaves either the south-west or north-east, open to us. But, I haven't been there in a few years."

"I'm afraid it's been longer since I've flown there, but I'll tell you what I remember," Draco answered, studying the map closely. "The terrain north-east is far too open, too many fields and plains with no cover what so ever. We'd be spotted very easily. South-west, however, the terrain isn't much different than here. Lots of forests and craggy hilltops. There is a section where smaller rivers intersect into one large one... here. It's been a while since the spring rains, so the flooding will be minimal. There are, for lack of a better term, islands dotting the river and some of the surrounding swampland, and most are connected through a series of man-made bridges. There _were_ a small number of villages along those rivers, if I remember correctly. Whether they're still there now is another matter entirely."

The Knight scowled at the map a moment longer, then sighed. "South-west it is then. Are you two fit enough to ride?" When Rachel and Erica exchanged glances, then nodded, he straightened, re-rolled the map, and tucked it under his belt. "Good. Kara and I have already ransacked the hunter's supplies, and we'll let their horses loose before we leave. No. Sit down. Kara and I will see to your belongings and horses. Rest while you can, we leave within the hour."

"Well," Erica murmured as the three of them watched him stalk over to the tethered horses. "He's handy to have in a bad situation."

"He _was_ a Knight of the Realm," Draco reminded them thoughtfully. "And, perhaps, he will be again."

"You're scheming something," Rachel frowned, curiousity warring with caution when the dragon nodded.

Erica quickly chipped in. "For the love of the Gods, be careful. Knight or no, he's been a _dragonslayer_ for the past decade. That just doesn't go away. And, it'll be a few days until Rache and I will regain full use of our magicks. We won't be able to help much if he decides to add you to his trophies."

"Speak for yourself," the other teen muttered. "I still have some power stores left. Enough to put up a shield or two, at any rate."

A smile tugged at the dragon's lips as Draco looked from one teen to the other, touched and honoured at their protectiveness. "Thank you. Both of you," he murmured gratefully, dipping his head down to brush his cheek against each of their shoulders.

_It can't be coincidence that these two enter my life just as things are close to being poised on a knife's edge, teetering between either failure or victory,_ he mused silently_. It can't be. For them to willingly and selflessly share the knowledge of my greatest burden, for them to seek to defend me from harm, and befriend me, right when I found the courage to venture out of the shadows and face my past. It cannot be mere chance. And, if it isn't, what am I to do now? What will the final price that I must pay do to them? How much harm and sorrow will my death bring them? What will happen to the, little dreamer? The young little half-blood that knows some of the greatest of dragon secrets and can feel the warmth of the Dragon's Heaven? The one that makes me forget my failures, and makes me want to fly and sing again? The one that holds a kindred spirit to my own? Oh, stupid dragon. What messes you get yourself into._

He sighed, softly, covering the sound with a low rumble. There was plenty of time before he would be forced to tell them of his fate. After his inevitable confrontation with Bowen, perhaps. When there would be no more time to procrastinate, and only enough time to act.

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><p>Kara was jolted awake when the horse she was on came to a stop, blinking at Erica's back before leaning a bit to the side. The reason for their halt was on the horizon, where armored forms raced their own steeds across the landscape, some of the sun's rays glinting off of weapons and chainmail.<p>

"Did they spot us?" Erica asked, looking towards Draco, who had flattened himself against the ground in an attempt to remain unseen as he frowned at the distant riders.

"I don't believe so," the dragon replied, glancing at Bowen as the man followed the far off group with his gaze. "You were right, Bowen. They're heading for the forest, and last night's camp. I imagine they'll be rather upset when they find those two fellows we left tied to the trees."

"One of the hunters that attacked Erica and Rachel must have sent a messenger-bird to the castle before revealing themselves," Bowen surmised, sending another look at the riders before urging his own stallion away from the unprotected hillside. "We should hurry for the next forest. We'll need the cover."

Draco sighed, and carefully inched backwards, away from the crest of the hill. "I suppose I'm grounded for the time being. Pity. I was hoping for a bit of flying."

"They'll be out of range soon enough," Rachel murmured. She was the reason they were making such bad time, and she _hated_ knowing that she was putting all of them in jeopardy.

Despite her attempts to make the others believe otherwise, she was still fighting constant boughts of light-headedness and dizziness, and riding horseback was only amplifing the problem. More than once, she had almost toppled over; only a frantic grab of the reins and her horses subtle shifting had kept her in the saddle. Erica had been able to use her animal-empathy to 'speak' to Rachel's mare, imparting the information that her rider was wounded, and in dire need of caretaking, and ever since, her horse had been downright _mothering_.

Rache didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. Even Draco had been not-so-subtlely 'hovering' over her, staying as close to her as her horse allowed, and stretching a wing out to keep her upright every time she drifted off, falling asleep for ten or twenty minutes at a time. Both Bowen and Kara had told her that what she was doing was completely normal for someone who had lost a lot of blood from a wound, and had encouraged her to not to fight to stay awake. She needed rest, they had told her, and if their group wasn't being pursued by bounty hunters, they would never have forced her to ride.

She settled for being annoyed, both at herself, and the situation. At least Kara was riding with Erica. No one had dared suggest that having Kara ride with her was anywhere close to a good diea - two inexperienced riders on one horse was a recipie for disaster. So, they had laden Bowen's stronger stallion with the teen's meagre provisions and let Kara ride with Erica.

Bowen led the way, she and Draco were in the middle, and Erica and Kara were at the rear. _At least if I fall off_, Rachel mused during one of her few coherant moments, _I can trust Erica not to run me over._

Sleep tugged at her again, and, like every time before, she fought it. Focusing on the pain in her arm helped a little, but it didn't do enough to push back the fog that muddled her thoughts. In desperation, Rachel dropped her shields and reached for the natural energies around them, stretching her senses out across the landscape. It took control to not siphon the energy around her, like a leech at a meal; but rather, to let it wash through her. To let it cleanse the impurities and renew her strength, like a forest blooming anew after a fire.

Even as Rachel let her awareness of her physical body lapse, she could still hear the conversation around her.

"Rache! What the hell are you _doing?_" Erica, upset and worried, showed up as a brilliant indigo to her senses.

"Calm yourself, Erica." That was Draco, gold, as brilliant as the sun. "She's trying to regain some of her wellbeing."

"Well, it's a damn good thing none of Einon's goons can sense her, because she's lighting us up like a beacon!"

"What is she doing? She just looks asleep to me." That was Kara. Green, like fresh grass.

There was a huff from Erica. "She's not sleeping, Kara. I'm not sure _what_ she's doing. She can connect to the land around her, like a sixth sense, but this is different. She's... resonating. Like a crystal. Tuning her vibrations into that the nature around us." A pause. "And you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?"

"Not really," Kara murmured, meeting the teen's blue gaze when Erica glanced back at her.

"It's alright." A flash of purple amongst the indigo, as inspiration struck. "Kara, think of a singer. He's in the middle of a song, and a second person comes along, wanting to join in. The second person has no choice. He _has_ to tune himself into the song that's being sung. He can't change it, he can't alter it. And he has to be in harmony with not only the tune of the song, but the first singer as well. Otherwise, all that happens is a loud chaotic mess that gives everyone headaches. Think of nature as that first singer, and turn the song into energy. Rachel is the second singer. What she's done is tuned her energy to match that of nature's, to join in the harmony. She's done it before, lots of times, but never to this extent. And to anyone else that has that ability, she's lit up like the moon in a night sky."

Amusement and surprise made Draco's golden light flare. "Very good, Erica! That's the best analogy I've heard yet!"

Rachel smiled and slowly put her shields back into place, carefully locking her abilities away. "'Rica always was the smart one," she grinned, glancing back at the other teen. "Having fun, professor? Will you be teaching classes now?"

"Oh, shut up." The only reason she didn't ride up and smack Rache upside the head was because Erica was worried she'd knock her friend off her horse. "And _warn me_ next time you do that! I may not be able to sense energy in the same way, but I can damn well sense _you._"

"Sorry, sorry. I just got sick of drifting in and out of consciousness."

Kara perked up, curious. "So, you've Healed yourself?"

"Eh, it's not that simple. My arm's still buggered, and I can't do anything about the blood loss. Physically, I'm still a mess. I just... recharged myself, in a sense. I'm still tired, but the dizziness is gone, and I can think much more clearly now." A wry smile tugged at her lips. "I have enough dents in my skull without having to add to them by passing out and falling off my horse. Again."

Erica smirked. "At least there aren't any low hanging branches for you to smack into."

"Ah, to be fair, that was my fault," Draco admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment when Kara quirked a brow at him. "I wasn't watching where I was flying. Rachel was quick to warn me that I was about to fly into a tree, only she was so focused on me that she didn't watch out for her own wellbeing."

"And 'smack'!, right into a branch," Erica grinned, laughing when Rache sent a scathing glare her way. "Good thing you have such a hard head, otherwise it might have caused some damage."

"You shouldn't talk!" Rachel retorted hotly.

"Well," Erica drawled lightly, "I'm almost as hard-headed as you."

A rumbling chuckle left Draco as he turned his head to look at Erica. "Almost?"

"Alright, I _am _as hard headed as Rache is... I just don't like to spread it around."

Kara joined in with the dragon's laughter. "Are the two of you sisters?"

"In spirit," Erica smiled, catching a glimpse of the blush on Rachel's face. "But, not by blood. We've been friends for over six years. It was Rache who helped me learn and perfect most of the spells I know. Though she's better at the more powerful magicks than I am."

Rache frowned and slowed her horse so she was riding next to Erica and Kara. "That's a load of garbage and you know it! The spellbook is a guide, nothing more. You have to find your own way."

"I know! I know." The other teen sighed. "Draco said the same thing. He helped me figure out how to Heal you. And I _know_ I did it differently than you do. It didn't _feel _the same."

"Well, why would it?" Draco commented as he walked with them. "You and Rachel are alike, in many ways, but you're not identical. You each have your own energy, your own soul."

"It's like learning to fight," Bowen called back, surprising them. They'd obviously thought he hadn't been listening. "You have to figure out which weapon you're best at. Reading up on sword-play is all well and good, but if you can't put that knowledge to use in a real situation, all you'll get is dead. It's all in the training, and the method used. But, even then, if you train with a weapon that's unsuited to you, it won't do any good."

Kara smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "You must have been a great teacher."

They all saw his shoulders tense. "I was..." Bowen sighed, the sound weary and full of regrets. "Once. Long ago."

Rachel grimaced as the Knight spurred his horse onwards, putting distance between them. "Well, shit," she muttered. "Why is it that every conversation we have always seems to end up with him being depressed?"

"The wound Einon gave him is still too fresh," Draco explained as he cast a worried look after the man, tail lashing in accordance to his own unease. "It wasn't Einon's sword that harmed Bowen the most, it was his words."

Erica scowled, then glanced back at an equally silent Kara. "C'mon. I've got some stories about when Rache and I were still learning how to use our magicks that'll cheer him up."

The glare Rachel sent her, had she been looking, would have either cowed Erica, or made her laugh. "If I get _one_ comment about my eyebrows, you won't like what I'll do to you!" she shouted after the other teen before turing her angry glare onto Draco, who had moved into her path in order to keep her from riding after them.

"Rachel, are you alright?"

The genuine concern in his voice made her wince, and she looked away, guilty for feeling angry at him. The sensation of something brushing against her left shoulder made her blink, and she couldn't stop a smile from spreading over her lips when she turned and saw Draco next to her, her skin still warm from him rubbing his cheek against her. "What was that for?"

"You looked like you needed it," he answered, smiling when she blushed. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm fine." When he shot her an exasparated look, she sighed and gave in, shoulders slumping. "I feel like I've been run over by a herd of cattle. I managed to get rid of the lightheadedness and dizziness, and I _do_ feel more awake than before... But, other than that, I just want to lie down and sleep for a few days."

The dragon nodded a little and let silence fall over them as he started to walk again, glancing at Rachel when she urged her mare to keep pace with him. "I was worried. I don't think you realise how many times you almost fell off that horse."

"Considering that I barely remember leaving the campsite, I'm not at all surprised." Another sigh left her as she shook her head. "I don't even know how long what I did will last. Could be days, could only be a few hours. Thanks, by the way," she added, explaining when Draco cast her a questioning look. "For keeping me from crashing to the ground."

"You're welcome, of course. In all honesty, I was about to offer to carry you, except you connected with the land before I could mention it."

A wry smile tugged at her lips. "Give it a few hours." Rache let her gaze travel to Erica and Kara, quirking a brow when they both glanced back at them before starting to whisper to each other. "Crud. They're talking about us."

"Oh? Still?"

"_'Still'?_"

"Mmhm. Kara seems to only speak of two things. You and I, and building a rebellion."

Rachel frowned. "Damned woman needs a hobby."

"At least she's been quiet since you were wounded," Draco pointed out as he let his gaze settle on the two women that were riding ahead of them. Kara seemed to be laughing at whatever Erica was saying to Bowen, the teen gesturing along with whatever story she was telling him. "I think you scared her."

"I scared myself," Rache admitted softly, idly picking at the bandages on her left arm. "I had completely forgotten about my arm until Erica started to freak out about it. Can't afford to get distracted when you're controlling a lightning bolt."

A hum left the dragon before he gave her a teasing smile. "Rather unsubtle, as signals go."

"It worked though."

"That it did! I was surprised to see that the forest survived, to tell the truth."

"Practice," Rache smirked. "And luck. I've only Called lightning from a clear sky a handful of times. It was harder than I thought to keep it from setting the forest on fire. Had to siphon off some of the power. I think that's why I didn't realise how bad my arm was: absorbing that kind of energy has the side-effect of momentary euphoria."

"All that effort, just to save a few trees," Draco mused with a smile, daring to reach out and lightly brush his right wingclaw across her back.

A slight blush rose on her face. "I _like_ trees," she muttered, glaring at the dragon when he laughed. "Quit laughin' at me!"

Erica glanced back at the mock-insulted tone to Rache's voice and grinned when she saw Draco pretend to shy away from the other teen, the dragon's laughter floating over to her on the breeze.

"She eases some burden in him," Bowen said as he twisted to follow her gaze.

The surprise in his voice made Kara frown at him. "Has it never occured to you that he could be _lonely?_"

Bowen blinked. "Lonely?"

"He's been alone for a long time," Erica pointed out gently. "Hiding in the shadows while trying to survive in a world that hates and doesn't understand you is a very lonely existance. Even his interactions with you haven't exactly been on the level of 'friendship', and you're probably the closest thing he's had to companionship in a long, long time. But, Rache, she grew up with stories of dragons. She doesn't have the same prejudices that the people of this land have towards Draco's kind. She treats him like a friend. An equal."

The Knight reddened. "I treat him-"

"Like a dragon." Erica cut him off, holding his gaze for a moment before softening her tone. "She treats him like a person. A feeling, thinking, living, _person._ And _that_, makes a world of difference."

tbc...

* * *

><p>AN - I'm sorry this took so long. I swear, this chapter was like pulling teeth. I think I rewrote this half a dozen times. I had to force myself to stop tweaking because I was afraid I'd ruin it. *huffs*

Oh, I found this amongst the ruins of what used to be the fics' webpage. It's still funny and strangely appropriate.

"The evil General Stuck is currently holding our plot bunnies in a cage deep within his fortress Writer's Block. He and his minions Rambling, That Sucks, Confused, and Have Work To Do are savagely defending the castle but with the help of our gutter-minded muses we feel certain that soon we shall make a small breach in the outer wall allowing some of the less guarded plot bunnies to escape. Onward to battle!"

*snerk*


	12. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I own Rachel and Erica. All 'Dragonheart' characters belong to Universal Studios and the script/books author Charles Edward Pogue._

* * *

><p>"Rache, if I strangle her, will you help me hide the body?"<p>

"Yes, 'Rica. Yes, I will."

The cause of their ire was ahead of them, jogging to keep pace with Bowen's horse as the Knight led the way across yet another field. It had been three days since the group had left the forest cliff, and the searching bounty hunters, behind. Three _long_ days, in which Kara had renewed her efforts to goad a reaction out of Bowen, still set on building her rebellion against Einon. She seemed to be blind to the reactions she was causing in those around her as she tried to plead and shame them into helping her.

And the more Kara nattered on, and the more Bowen tried to silence her with harsh retorts and a nasty temper, the more sullen and withdrawn Draco had become. The dragon rarely spoke to any of them anymore, answering whatever questions aimed in his direction with short, one word replies, his voice so lifeless and depressed that both Rachel and Erica were seriously worried about him.

Unable to convince Kara to hold her tongue for one day, the two teens had closed ranks and placed themselves between her and Draco, carefully drawing the woman's attention away from the dragon in an attempt to help ease his dark mood. But even their intervention didn't seem to be helping. Instead, it only seemed to fuel Kara's tirade to the point where even Erica, usually the one to advocate _against_ attacking someone, had been starting to have dreams of shoving the woman off a cliff.

Adding to the tension was Rachel's temper. She had a short enough fuse on a good day. With the pain in her left arm from the healing gash, her worry for Draco, and her irritation towards Kara, she was one wrong comment away from going nuclear. Erica only hoped that there'd be some sort of warning sign before her friend exploded - she really didn't like how the other's teen's right eye had started to twitch.

Sighing tiredly, Erica glanced back at the dragon that was walking behind them, frowning at how the inner lids of his eyes had shuttered down, dulling the usual brilliance of his gaze. Even the way he carried his wings had changed; every now and again, the tips would drag across the ground, making him startle and tuck them to his sides. He'd manage to keep them there for a few paces, then become lost in his thoughts again, and the cycle would begin anew. She didn't even think he was aware of the fact that he'd been dragging his tail for most of the morning.

_Well, if this isn't a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is,_ she mused with a weary shake of her head as she glanced at Rache, who was once again picking at the bandages on her left arm, a shimmer of power glimmering around her as she ground her teeth. _Oh, this is going to be a baaaad night._

"Um... Rache?"

Mica coloured eyes glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"You might wanna rein in some of that aura before you freak the horses out."

The other teen blinked, then glanced down at her hands. "Oh. Crap."

Erica watched as Rache heaved a sigh and frowned down at her hands in concentration, the aura that was shimmering around her pulsing once before vanishing into her skin. "Thanks. Neither of us needs another smack to the head."

Rachel snorted. "You sure? I'd take a sledgehammer to the forehead if it meant I didn't have to listen to Kara lecture on for another day."

"I never thought I'd say this of someone I barely know, but I'm actually beginning to hate that woman. You'd think she'd realize that no one wants to listen to her play-by-play of the crappiness of the Realm."

Both of them winced at the pained keen that slid out of Draco, hazel and blue eyes exchanging troubled glances before Erica set her jaw and decided she'd been polite for long enough. "Bowen? It's nearly sunset. Can you see a safe place we can stop for the night?"

The Knight scowled back at her, though he knew his anger was misplaced. "Fine. There's a forest ahead. We can camp there." Needing a target for his ire, he turned it upon the one who had caused it in the first place. "Unless the lass objects to more of my company?"

Kara sneered. "As long as you don't open your mouth, your company is almost bearable."

Rachel gave a groan of exasperation and dropped her face into her hands. "It'll never end!"

"Oh, yes, it bloody will!" Erica growled, waiting until Bowen had urged his stallion into a gallop and put some distance between them before she slid off her mare's saddle and stalked over to Kara, who had turned to send a pleading look towards the withdrawn dragon.

"Draco-"

Erica slapped a hand over Kara's mouth, meeting her startled look with a glare. "Shut. Up! Everyone is _tired_ of letting you berate and lecture them! _Yes_, the kingdom sucks. _Yes_, Einon needs to be stopped. _Fine! We get it!_ We got it three days ago! But all you're doing now is ripping open old wounds and making them bleed anew! I am not going to let you do that anymore! You need to _stop!_ And by the Gods, you're going to stop _right now!_"

"Erica."

She turned to look at a frowning Draco over her shoulder. "No, Draco. Rache and I have had to watch her words hurt you and Bowen for far too long. I should have said something earlier, but I _thought_," and now she sent a glare at Kara again, "that Kara would notice what she's been doing to the two of you. I _thought_ she'd have enough empathy and _compassion _to realize that she's been _hurting_ you with every, scathing, _poisonous_, tirade. I was _wrong_. And, for that, Draco, I'm so _sorry_. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. But, this ends now!"

Startled by the vehement outburst, Kara looked from Erica, to Rachel, then Draco, and back again, her eyes widening when Rachel growled and rose her right hand, a sphere of fire crackling to life in her palm. "But, I-"

"Shut up." Rachel's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but filled with a cold, hard, anger. "Just, shut up. You're no better than the bullies that make my life a living hell every day back home. All you're doing is causing pain in everyone around you, and you're taking pleasure in beating everyone down, in a sick and twisted hope that by doing so, we'll let you bully us into doing what you want us to do." Her eyes narrowed, glittering in the sunlight as she clenched her right hand into a trembling fist, smothering the flames there. "You helped me when I was hurt, and I appreciate it, which is why I'm giving you _one_ warning: stop. _Stop_, or by all the Gods in the Heavens, I'll _make you_ stop."

Kara stared at the teen, fighting against the urge to back away. The girl was _furious_, the usually warm hazel of her gaze now a hardened mica. Only Kara's own rising anger allowed her to push past her shock and speak up. "Are you _threatening_ me?"

"Nope," Erica drawled, giving the woman a cold smile as she walked back to her waiting mare and climbed up onto the saddle. "Threatening people is so old-fashioned. Gives them the idea that the threat is merely an attempt to frighten them. No. We're not threatening you. We're merely stating a _fact._ If you don't _stop_ hurting Bowen and Draco, then Rache and I are going to have to _force you_ to stop. And, you really, _really_, don't want that to happen."

"Especially considering that I killed three people a few days ago," Rachel added flippantly as she gently urged her horse forward, riding past Kara and raising her voice so the woman could easily hear her. "It didn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. I suppose that makes me some sort of monster now. _That_ doesn't bother me as much as I expected either."

Erica stared after her friend, then looked down at a pale Kara. "You really need to stop this, Kara," she murmured softly, troubled by what the other teen had admitted. "You really do. Rache doesn't trust a lot of people, because of her past. But, she trusts Draco, and to a lesser extent, Bowen. She'll defend them both, because once someone earns her trust and friendship, there's little she won't do to protect them. She killed three men to defend me, Kara. She killed them without hesitation, and I have no doubt that she'd do it again. She'd let people think she's a killer and a murderer, she'll think of _herself_ as a killer and murderer and believe herself a monster, but she'd accept it, because all that matters to her is that I'm alright."

When the woman stayed silent, Erica glanced over at a distressed Draco, who was staring at the retreating Rachel. "She'd do the same for you, Draco. In a heartbeat. Even though we've only known you for a short time. She was even willing to let Einon and his group see her weave magicks to protect Bowen, which is close enough to a death sentence in its own right. If it's a choice between her soul, or her life, versus my life, or even yours Draco, she'll choose us. No matter what. I don't know anyone else who's as loyal as she is." A sigh left Erica as she returned her gaze to Kara, who looked torn between sympathy and wariness. "So, yes, Kara. Right now, you're in danger from her. You don't realize it, but you've churned up some pretty horrible memories and reopened some soul-shattering wounds. You need to back off, and stop trying to shame us into building a rebellion with you. Because all you're doing is turning everyone against you."

"But, Einon must be _stopped!_ And no one is _doing anything!_" Kara cried. "He's hurt and killed so many people, without consequence! And I..." Her voice cracked, tears gathering in her eyes. "I don't want anyone else to have their father die in their arms! I don't want Einon to do to another woman what he did to _me!_"

Erica sighed as Draco loosed a pained noise and leapt into the air, the dragon's wing beats sending whirls of wind over them as he soared towards the forest Bowen had vanished into. She couldn't begin to imagine what having to listen to Kara's pleas was doing to him. He'd saved Einon's life out of hope and a friendship to Aislinn, and held himself responsible for every evil Einon had committed because of his sacrifice.

Frowning, Erica looked down at a softly crying Kara, and held a hand out to her. "Then don't let Einon get away with it. But go about this plan of yours in another way. There are better ways to try to get people to follow a cause than guilt. I'll..." She couldn't believe she was actually saying what she was saying, "I'll help you, I promise. But, give everyone a few days to calm down, alright? Change isn't easy, Kara. Especially when that change will force people to confront their inner demons. Now, c'mon. Climb up. We'd better find Bowen before it gets too dark to see."

* * *

><p>A long, drawn out, sigh left Rachel as she tapped into the land around her, letting her senses sink into the earth and trees. Even with her emotions in a knot, it didn't take her long to figure out where Bowen was; fires weren't a normal occurrence in the middle of a forest.<p>

Feeling emotionally drained, and exhausted to the point where her eyes burned, she gently guided her horse between the trees, inwardly hoping that Kara had taken her and Erica's confrontation to heart and was planning on not starting another tirade once she got to the campsite. Listening to the woman's lectures as she tried to shame and bully Bowen and Draco into rebelling had brought back unwelcome memories, memories that Rachel had hoped she had locked away. Their resurgence had only added to her rising tension, upsetting her stomach, causing the muscles in her shoulders to clench painfully, and making a headache pound away in her forehead.

Rachel honestly didn't know how she managed to keep from throttling the woman.

Seeing Draco sink into depression had bothered her more than she had expected. The more withdrawn and sullen he had become, the more often an emotionally turmoiled keen had slipped out of him, the more the urge to tie Kara to a tree and leave her behind had strengthened. Even Erica, usually the calmer and more pleasant of the two of them, had started to get upset at the woman, and Rachel knew full well that what Erica admitted to wasn't even a fraction of the real annoyance she was feeling.

She couldn't imagine how Bowen was feeling. He had been Kara's main target. Her belief that the Knight could be brought back to glory through impassioned lectures and pleas had been painful to listen to. The demons her speeches had churned up had been visibly tormenting the man for days.

Rubbing at her eyes, Rachel numbly slid from the saddle and walked her mare the rest of the way to camp, sighing again when she spotted Bowen carefully tending to a small fire, expertly coaxing it into a strong flame. "Bowen? Are you alright?"

"Fine," he grated out, voice harsh. "Who's side are you on?"

"Yours, actually," she told him, mustering up a tired smile when he gave her a startled look. "If it's any consolation, 'Rica and I just had a little 'talk' with Kara."

"A talk," the Knight repeated, eyeing her with obvious surprise.

"Yeah. Pretty much told her to shut the hell up or we'd do something unsightly to her." Rachel turned her back to him as she hooked her horses' reins onto a branch and went about removing the saddle from the mare's back. As she did every night, she ran her hands over the mare's sides and back, sending little pulses of Healing energy into tired muscles before she knelt to inspect the hooves, murmuring reassurance as she lightly brushed her fingers along the strong, but delicate, legs.

Silence fell over the camp as Rachel went about her nightly ritual, and it was only when Bowen cleared his throat that she glanced over at him. "Thank you," he murmured, holding her gaze for a moment before the sound of dragon wings drew his attention to the skies, spotting Draco as the dragon soared over and past them. "Does Draco know?"

"Yeah. He was still listening to Erica and Kara's 'discussion' when I left." At his curious look, she shrugged. "I said what I needed to say. I didn't want to wait around and listen to her talk anymore. Besides, I was getting to the point where my anger would cause my magicks to be unstable. Didn't want to accidentally fry Kara with a fireball."

Bowen snorted. "Better to give the wench a head start, at least."

Rachel smirked. "It's only fair," she agreed, the tense knot in her stomach loosening a little when a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips.

"How's the arm?"

"Hurts. Itches."

"Hm. Worse than yesterday?"

"The itching is. The pain is the same."

Bowen frowned and beckoned her closer. "Probably time to change the dressings. C'mere, so I can take a look."

Not wanting to jinx the rare opportunity to interact with a non-grouchy Bowen, Rachel obeyed and moved to kneel beside him, extending her arm. He was good, she had to give him that. He kept his touch light, carefully unwrapping her arm. The gash, once bared, looked horrible, at least to her eyes. All red and bruised, with dark stitches and tender scabs along its length.

The Knight, however, made a pleased noise. "It's healing well." He gently prodded at the edges, then nodded. "It's bleeding a little, but that's just because the scabs caught on the dressings. Other than that, I don't see any sign of infection. No pus, no discoloration, so the herbs you soak the bandages in are working. Another week, and we may be able to take the stitches out. For now, it might be good to let the wound breathe and dry out. Take some clean dressings with you, though. Just in case."

She arched a brow at him. "And where, exactly am I going?"

Bowen smirked at her. "Draco headed west. He wouldn't have gone too far. You should be able to find him before it gets dark."

Rachel stared at him for a long moment, then smiled and impulsively reached over to hug him. "Thank you, Bowen."

"Bah." He shook her off, though he wasn't able to dislodge the smile on his face as easily. "Get going, girl. Go see if that beast of yours is alright. Where ever he landed, it'll be where he can see the stars."

"He's not 'mine', Bowen."

An amused chuckle left him. "Might as well be, considering how he's been drawn to you from the start."

She shrugged as she rose and went to rifle through her saddlebag for some clean bandages. "He's just lonely."

"That's a load of horsecrap and you know it. He sees you as a friend, girl. He's a completely different drag- er, _person_, when you're around."

"...you're his friend too, Bowen. Despite how you try to fight against it."

He visibly jerked at that, startled. "Maybe. But, not in the same way. He looks at me and whatever he sees troubles him. You _lift_ that burden, lessen it somehow."

At that moment, Rachel wanted to tell him what Draco had confided in her. Wanted to make Bowen _understand_. But she held her tongue, knowing that she had no right to tell a secret that wasn't hers to tell. Instead, she tucked some bandages into a pouch on her belt and wrapped her cloak around herself. "We... understand each other, is all. We've both had to survive in a world that doesn't understand, or want, us."

"Your aunt's boyfriend." When she jerked her gaze to his, fixing him with a wide-eyed look, Bowen made a calming gesture towards her, trying to ease the suspicion and fear in her eyes. "Erica mentioned it in a rant after I accused you of bewitching Draco. She said it was proof that you don't abuse your magicks, despite having a good reason to."

Rachel fidgeted a little. "...was she convincing?"

"Before or after she knocked me out?"

"Either?"

"Well, waking up to find that you healed my wounds helped," Bowen admitted. "I've never met a Healer with evil in their heart. Especially one who absorbs the pain of the wounds they heal."

"...only happens when I'm tired..."

"Semantics. You could have left me to suffer."

"Well, to be fair, Erica made me do it."

"Pfft. Even she can't force you to do something you're against."

"Oh, you don't know her as well as I do," Rache smirked. "It can take a lot to make her lose her temper, but when she does, the smart people run and hide. Girl could chew up a sword, spit out tacks, then go back for seconds."

The mental image made Bowen chuckle. "So, Kara..."

"Should be a lot calmer and kinder. You might have to put up with some rather tense small-talk, but other than that, I doubt she'll start another series of tirades. But, if she does, let 'Rica handle it. You getting into another screaming match with Kara isn't going to help."

"I'm far too _tired_ to get involved in another fight with her," Bowen admitted, prodding at the small fire before carefully setting a couple of branches over the brightly burning kindling. "At this point, I just want to have my meal and go to sleep."

"Good." With a smile and a wave, Rache tucked her cloak around herself and started to head for the edge of camp. She paused though, and frowned before glancing back towards Bowen. "Um, if I can't convince Draco to come back to camp tonight, just get Erica to lead you to us in the morning. She knows how to find me."

"More magicks, I suppose?" he drawled, turning his head to look at her. When she smirked and nodded, he smiled and made a 'shoo-ing' motion at her. "Fine. Now, get going, before it's too dark for you to find your way."

"Better be careful," Rachel teased in response to his friendly attitude, sending another wave his way before sprinting deeper into the forest. "I might start to think that you actually care about what happens to me!"

* * *

><p>Draco sighed as he stretched out across the ground, the dry grasses tickling his belly a little as he settled himself. The sun had set only moments before, and the horizon was still painted in reds and oranges. The sky right above him, however, was already a dark, deep blue, the stars just beginning to become visible. Long practice made it easy to spot the constellation Bowen had named him after, a soft, pained, sound leaving him as he locked his eyes onto those stars.<p>

The sensation of calmness and warmth that Rachel had described seeped into him, helping to steady his turmoiled thoughts, soothing his distress and easing some of the tension in his wings. Though even the Stars themselves couldn't help his troubled soul.

He knew that Kara was right. Knew that Einon _had_ to be stopped. But the ultimate price of freeing the Realm from Einon's evil was one that he knew he _must_ pay, but now, didn't wish to. A rebellion, if he could convince Bowen to lead one, could be enough to at least delay the inevitable. Though he knew that Einon's evil would always return, no matter how many victorious rebellions there were, and that, in the end, it would _still _require the same sacrifice from him.

Things weren't simple anymore. Before, he had been more than willing to lay down and end Einon's tyranny, and his own misery, with one blow from whichever dragonslayer he felt could do the job properly. Draco had never thought to be reunited with the same Knight that had once been Einon's teacher. The same Knight who had been witness to the dragon's sacrifice in order to save that child's life. The same Knight that had sworn to kill him.

And Kara. Dear Kara, who had lost just as much to Einon as Draco and Bowen had. He, Bowen, and Kara were all linked to Einon, twined together in an odd turn of fate that even Draco couldn't discern. And mixed into the mess were two teenage girls from another time. He knew, _knew_, that it wasn't coincidence that had led them to him. He felt it in his very bones that they too, had a part to play. Which part, he didn't know. But for a halfblooded Elven that could commune with the Dragon's Heaven, and a blue-eyed sorceress that was able to sense the curiousity of the souls that dwelled high above to suddenly be thrown into his path seemed too orchestrated to be explained by mere chance.

Draco had long given up hope of ever seeing Man and Dragon reunite. Had resigned himself to living out the rest of his haunted days alone and in darkness. His 'alternative' with Bowen was only meant to prolong the inevitable. He'd wanted a few days of being out in the sunlight, and even the company of a dragonslayer was better than being alone - nevermind that the man was a ghost from the dragon's past.

But, oh, meeting Rachel and Erica had turned out to be a balm to his tormented soul. To meet to people that fully accepted not only dragons, but the ancient arts as well was amazing on its own. Even the Celts hadn't been as open-minded as the two teens seemed to be. He was still stunned by the past three day's events, where the two girls had so vehemently kept Kara from turning her attention onto him, his new friends trying to ease a burden that even they didn't fully understand.

His new friends. The thought made him smile, though a little sadly. _I've made what could be the closest friends I could ever have... on the eve of what will be the last days of the dragons._ He'd certainly never imagined that any human would be comfortable enough in his presence to sleep next to him! Even Bowen eyed him warily whenever he got too close to the man. But the two teens didn't even hesitate. Rachel had even gone as far as to _hug_ him. And he'd let her ride on his back! He'd taken her flying! Draco doubted that even she knew the full meaning behind that gesture of trust.

They both treated him like a _person._ Not a dragon, not some intelligent beast. But a living, breathing, thinking, _being_. Even Aislinn still held onto her Celtic heritage. Called him 'Lord' and 'Great One'. Never by name - well, not his true name, but no human had ever offered to give him a name they could pronounce. Not until, Bowen. No, Aislinn and the Celts had always treated him with careful respect. They bowed to him, never spoke to him with too much familiarity. Never with companionable friendship. Aislinn had certainly never joked with him, or offered him comfort other than by voice and words alone. He hadn't realized how much the difference mattered. Not until a certain teen had effortlessly tossed 'propriety' off a cliff and had offered him a friendship that he hadn't been aware he was missing.

And now he'd discovered, through Erica, how deeply Rachel's loyalty lay. They were bound, somehow. Draco had thought that he and Bowen were kindred spirits, but the more the learned about the young halfblooded Elven, the more he saw pieces of himself in her. True, he and Bowen _were_ linked, and he did consider the Knight to be a friend, or at least in the beginning stages of one. But, then again, who was to say that there couldn't be more than one soul out there kindred to his own? He certainly saw glimpses in Erica, and even Kara.

He frowned, thoughts racing as he hummed a sad song under his breath, his attention returning to the stars, keen eyes spotting the streak of light as a shooting star cut across the dragon constellation.

"Where I come from, if you see a shooting star, you're supposed to make a wish."

Startled, Draco whipped his head to the side, staring at the teenager that stumbled out into the clearing, a soft curse leaving her as she tugged the edge of her cloak free of a brambled bush. "Rachel?"

A tired smirk tugged at her lips. "You were expecting someone else?"

"What? No!" Draco huffed and shook his head as she walked over to him. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't have followed me."

She hesitated, freezing in place. "Sorry," Rachel offered, thinking that she had overstepped her welcome. "I can go, if you want."

"No! No..." A sigh left him as he met her gaze. "I didn't mean it to sound like that," he murmured, beckoning her closer and gently brushing his snout against her shoulder when she came within reach. "You're still recovering. The last thing you should be doing is wandering through the forests at night."

"Well, Bowen was worried, and-"

"_Bowen_ was worried?" he blurted, cutting her off with his shock.

"Mmhm."

"Oh, dear."

"Yeah. It surprised me, too. He might actually be _mellowing_."

Draco chuckled softly. "However miraculous that is, it's not an excuse to put yourself at risk. You should be _resting_."

"You seriously think anyone's going to get any decent rest back at the camp?" Rachel countered with a quirked eyebrow as she reached out to touch one of the horns on his crest, smiling a little when he closed his eyes and gently nudged his brow under her hand. A low thrum of sound left him when she gave in and rubbed her knuckles over his right eyeridge. "Even with 'Rica there to keep Kara from starting another tirade, the tension's going to be thick enough to cut with a knife. I'll take my chances in the woods, thank you very much."

"Stubborn," he murmured teasingly, cracking his right eye open to look at her.

She merely smiled. "Yup."

"And incorrigible."

"Again, yup."

He rumbled a laugh. "Well, I _suppose_ you can just stay here with me."

"Oh, you _suppose_, hm?" Rache smirked and flicked her fingers against the horn just above his right eye. "Considering that I don't know if I can find my way back to camp, I'd say you're stuck with me."

That made him pull away just enough to be able to look at her fully. "You offered to leave and you don't know how to get back to camp?"

One shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. "You're entitled to your privacy. Didn't want to bother you if you wanted to be alone."

Draco searched her gaze for a moment, then smiled at her warmly when he found truth mixed with compassion and understanding in her eyes. "No, my dear. I think I've been alone for far too long," he murmured, carefully snagging the edge of her cloak in his right foreclaw and tugging her closer. She let him corral her so she was sitting in the curve of his body, leaning against his right shoulder while his tail arched around so the spade tip was lightly resting against her legs.

Another song rose in his thoughts, and he hummed the calm melody as he lowered his head to rest his chin on his right foreleg, closing his eyes with a smile when she reached out to lightly scratch her nails across his right eyeridge again. They stayed like that for a while, him humming a song to her while she indulged him and rubbed her knuckles over his brow.

Rachel couldn't help but smile when his breath left him in a contented sigh, the stress she had sensed in him finally dissipating. "You need a vacation," she said softly, almost afraid to ruin the calmness that was bubbled around them.

He cracked an eye open to look at her curiously. "A what?"

"A vacation. An extended period of time where people leave you the hell alone so you can go somewhere nice and sunny and actually _relax _for a few days. Or weeks."

"I'm afraid times like that are few and far between."

"Yeah, well, I'm bettin' that if you set someone on fire they'd leave you alone for a bit."

"Rachel!"

"What?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Well, you don't have to _kill _them. Just... y'know... _singe_ them a little."

"That's hardly appropriate."

"It'd work though! And, it's deeply satisfying on a petty level."

He chuckled a little at her adamant tone and nudged his cheek against her hand. "Thank you."

"I did nothing."

"Yes, you did. More than you know."

She frowned when he closed his eyes again and gently tapped a nail against one of the thick blunt horns on his carapace. "You going to explain that?"

"Would you mind if I didn't?" Draco murmured, peering at her. "At least not at this moment?" He felt her lean against him and shifted a little so that she'd be comfortable, rumbling softly when she stroked his cheek. "I don't want to think about tomorrow, or the day after that. There's so much hardship coming, and I just want to ignore it all, just for one night."

"Okay."

A grateful thrum left him as he gave her a gentle nudge with his wing-claw, smiling when Rachel laughed softly and returned to scratching his brow ridges. He hummed to her in return, a gentle melody meant to calm and sooth, the closest thing to a lullaby that he knew of. Though he didn't really know if the song was more for her benefit or his own. But, either way, crooning and purring the low notes was helping to chase away the little knots of tension that had been plaguing the wing muscles in his back and chest, and the oddly comforting sensation of the teen rubbing her knuckles over his cheek and eyeridges was doing a fine job of easing the rest of his stresses.

"You should get some sleep," Rachel whispered, adding a tiny bit of Healing energy to her touches as she brushed her fingers across his brow, smiling when the slight frown he had been wearing finally melted away. "It'll do you good."

"Mm. What about you?"

His half-asleep mumble made her fight to keep from laughing. "I'll be fine, Draco. Sleep."

"In a moment." He carefully rearranged himself, curling his body around her in a loose semi-circle, his right wing half-spreading to shield her while he draped his tail over her legs. Satisfied that she'd be warm and safe throughout the night - no wolf or bear would _dare _come close to a full-grown dragon - Draco lowered his head to nuzzle her before resting his chin on his foreclaws again. "There. Now I'll rest."

"And you call me stubborn?"

A wry, sleepy, chuckle left him. "It's a trait we have in common," he admitted, smiling when she rolled her eyes at him and lay down, leaning against his right foreleg. He loosed a questioning trill when she sat up seconds later, frowning as he watched her pull a length of bandages out of a pouch tied to her belt.

"Sorry," Rachel muttered. "Have to rewrap my arm before I forget. Bowen said to let the wound breathe for a while, but I don't want to risk getting it dirty."

Concern overrode the lure of sleep, making him raise his head to get a better look at her. "Show me your arm."

She grimaced and tucked her left arm back under the edge of her cloak. "It's ugly looking."

A reassuring croon left him. "It's alright, my dear. Let me see," he coaxed, seeing her hesitate before the teen heaved a sigh and held her arm out.

The dragon had to agree, it _was _ugly. A long, angry-looking wound, interspersed with almost twenty, large, knotted, brown stitches, a dark contrast to the bruises and redness that framed the healing gash. He could smell the herbs she cleaned the wound with - rosemary and something else - along with a small amount of blood. No infection though, which assured him that she was healing well.

Still, he could do something to help that along, at least until she was strong enough to weave a Healing spell upon herself.

Purring to calm her, Draco dipped his head and carefully licked at the wound, frowning when she jerked away. "I'm trying to help you, Rachel," he told her as he met her confused gaze. "Whatever books have you been reading that you don't know that dragon saliva can help speed the healing of wounds?"

Rachel blushed. "...to be fair, all of those books are written by humans," she protested softly, frowning down at her arm when a slight tingling settled over the gash. "I don't want to make you sick, Draco."

"Oh, for Heaven's sake." Laughing, he reached across and gently held her arm in his left claw. "I used to know a dragon that had a taste for two week old rotted horse. If _he_ could stomach that putrid mess, then I can certainly tend to your arm. I've had to deal with much worse injuries in my time than this cut. Now hold still, this won't take but a moment."

"T-Thank you," she murmured, her mind bringing up something from a nature show on Bengal Tigers. That the tiger's saliva had an antiseptic and antibacterial quality to it, which explained how the great cats were so hardy despite their surroundings and occasional fights with rivals. How they could heal from wounds that could have been fatal, and how they kept infection away, even when they swam in muck and filthy water. Which, Rachel supposed, made sense. Another much needed tool in the arsenal required to survive.

So, she let Draco lathe her arm, trying to hide her winces when each pass of his tongue tugged at sensitive stitches.

Naturally, the dragon noticed her flinching, despite her efforts otherwise. "Sorry. I've never dealt with 'stitches' before. They look horribly uncomfortable."

"They are," Rache muttered as he gave her arm a final lick, then lightly bumped his snout against her shoulder. "But it's the only way to avoid a huge scar. Also, it cuts normal healing time in half."

"We'll see if we can't shorten that time even more," he told her as he watched her wrap her arm in bandages. "Though I'm not surprised that you didn't know that dragon saliva has healing properties. Ever since the land became infested with dragonslayers, we dragons have had to work hard to erase any knowledge that tells of our abilities. For our safety, you understand. There were some rather disturbing stories of slayers selling _body parts_ in a market. After learning of that, it was decided that such delicate information be hidden away."

"...I'm sorry."

Draco smiled at her gently. "You're not to blame for the evils of another."

"I know. But-"

"No, Rachel." He interrupted her with a soft rumble and a shake of his head. "Their actions were their own. It would be foolish to lay blame upon an entire people for the actions of a few misguided individuals."

She was about to mention how Bowen had done just that, but held her tongue. He'd said that he wanted to ignore every hardship that lay ahead of them, and their group, for the night. She wasn't about to ruin whatever calm and relaxation they'd built up by dredging up painful memories. When someone went digging into their past, all they got was dirty, and Rache didn't want Draco to lose the calm peace that seemed to have settled over him.

Instead, Rachel finished wrapping up her arm, then playfully smacked him in the shoulder, where she knew the hit wouldn't bother him in the least. "You just _had _to bring _logic_ into this, didn't you?"

A deep chuckle made the ground vibrate a little. "I'm sorry. I'll try to make it easier for you to keep up next time," he retorted, laughing when she let out a mock-insulted cry and threw a handful of ripped-up grass at him. Still chuckling, Draco leaned down and bunted her in the shoulder with his snout, gently nudging her back against his side. "Get comfortable, little dreamer. Morning will come sooner than either of us would like, and we both need the rest, hm?"

She nodded and carefully lay down, pressing her back against him in a bid for warmth. A smile tugged at her lips when Draco let his right wing droop so her lower body was nestled between it and his side, his tail curling around and sliding under the edge of his wing to rest against her legs. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He lightly touched his muzzle to her shoulder in reply, then rested his chin on his right foreleg and hummed a soft song to her, watching her as she pillowed her cheek on her arm and settled herself for the night. His voice rose and fell in soothing notes, keen hearing allowing him to listen as her breathing slowed and deepened. Only when he was certain that Rachel had fallen asleep did he let silence encompass them.

With a final glance up at the constellation of his namesake, Draco closed his eyes, drank in the sensation of the teenager snuggled up to him and the rare peace her presence seemed to bring, then let slumber take him.

* * *

><p>AN - So, yeah. Slow but steady gets a chapter done, apparently. *sigh* Also, this summer seems to be the hottest and most humid in a long, long time. 40 C with humidex just sucks the life out of me. Sucks the will to sit with a laptop on my lap too. Blergh.

And, yes, the bit about dragon saliva being antiseptic and whatnot is the result of watching too many nature shows while trying to belt out a chapter. Some tigers actually DO have antiseptic and antibacterial qualities in their saliva. (I kid you not, it's in Wikipedia.) So, my heat drunk brain thought that, considering that dragons have been dealing with dragonslayers, and probably occasional spats amongst themselves, they'd have to have a way to properly treating wounds. No tetanus shots in medieval times, after all. So, blame my brain before the heat makes it leak out my ears. ;)


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